Things That Don't Kill You
by Morningstar 236
Summary: Make you stronger, so the saying goes. With the help of Sakura, will Kakashi overcome his demons of the past? Will they become the lovers Sakura longs to be? Kakasaku, M for mature themes in coming chapters.
1. Chapter 1

_The start of my new story! I hope all of you like it. Please comment to let me know what you think! M for future mature themes. _

_Disclaimer – I do not own Naruto or any characters of said story._

**Chapter 1**

The silence of the lush forest was disrupted by a shinobi running for his life as he ran for the safety of his village as his pursuers tried to close in on him. He knew the forest like the back of his hand, so they didn't stand a chance of catching him. The shinobi was raised here, taught to use its secrets as a cloke of defense when it was needed. As a child, his father and sensei spent hours teaching him all of its secrets. Today, he would use his wisdom to eliminate the enemy that was trying to eradicate him. Lucky for him he was an elite and used his speed to set the trap needed to fulfill his goal. His pursuers blindly rushed into his trap as he destroyed them thus releasing him from the danger that they had posed to his well being.

His breathing was labored due to the damage he suffered from them prior to reaching the forest. Quickly assessing his situation, he made a mad dash towards the nearby temple so he could get the medical attention he so badly needed. If he were an average shinobi, his life would have been claimed long ago. He morosely chuckled to himself as he thought that his adversaries wouldn't have been tracking him if he was just any shinobi. His name was well known in all of the bingo books. With notoriety comes peril even when he was away from home completing the simplest of tasks. His training took over as he sped towards the temple. Not even aware of his surroundings anymore, his body knew what it needed to do to survive. Making his way through the gates, he was unconscious from the loss of blood and the injuries he had suffered. This was not the first time that the monks had come to his rescue and it probably would not be his last. As he collapsed, two of the monks were instantly by his side to catch him before he crumpled to the ground. Gingerly, they carried him to the infirmary so they could treat his many wounds.

* * *

The abbot made his way to the infirmary. He was summoned after the infamous ninja was ushered into the temple. The shinobi was well known by him and the monks. They took excellent care of their protector since the day the shinobi risked his life to save them all from an enemy's brutal attack. The silver-haired man was held in great esteem by the brethren. It was the least they could do for the elite ninja. He had also helped mentor the shinobi long ago when they were children and had become fast friends even though the differences in the way they lived their lives was vastly different.

"Masao-sama," the young monk bowed to his superior, "Hatake-san has made his way back to us again. I fear that his injuries are too severe for us to adequately heal."

Masao nodded as he made his way to Kakashi's bedside. The man on the cot was stable but still had many unhealed wounds that needed attending before they festered. As he surveyed the damage that was inflicted on the elite ninja, he detected a slow-acting poison surging through his veins. He quickly pulled out a scroll and quickly penned a message.

"Hiro, Kazuo," he said softly, "take this message quickly to the hokage."

Both men bowed and disappeared out of sight. The abbot adjusted the Copy Nin's position so he could breathe easier as they waited for a medic with poison expertise to come back with the two monks he had just sent out. He hoped that they would return soon with the medic so the damage done by the poison would be minimal. Sitting next to the sick man's bed, he began to gather his chakra so he could slow the damage as they waited. Whispering in Kakashi's ear, he told the silver-haired ninja the jutsu he was going to use and that he was in good hands. A blue glow settled over Kakashi as the abbot slowly infused his chakra into his body. Masao watched his friend relax as the jutsu slowed his bodily functions. Concentrating his chakra, he began his vigil as they awaited the medic from Konoha to come.

* * *

Kakashi wasn't totally conscious when he made his way through the gates of the temple. He knew he was finally safe and that he would be helped. His body was starting to fail from the poison that his enemy had injected into him during the battle. Knowing that he had to slow his body functions so the damage from the poison could be minimized, Kakashi instinctively let himself relax knowing that he would be protected now in the confines of the temple. He felt two strong arms catch him as he fell into the safety of the darkness.

The next thing Kakashi was aware of was his friend's voice telling him that he was going to take of him. Masao always had a way of calming the high strung ninja by just the sound of his voice. Kakashi could feel his body floating peacefully as the familiar chakra surged through his body. Both of them had spent a long time together when Kakashi was a youth. Masao had helped him through one of the darkest times of his life. Here again his friend was saving him. Knowing that he was in good hands now, he gave himself into his friend's jutsu and slipped into the darkness happy to know that at least for now, the terror of his nightmares would not plague him.

* * *

Masao surveyed the damage that was inflicted on Kakashi's body. It was amazing that his friend had survived. Shaking his head, he sat back into the chair and thought of path his long time friend had taken. Each had their calling, each was a master in their own rights. Masao hoped that Kakashi wasn't punishing himself again for things that had happened in the past but he knew that his friend was stubborn and never fully forgave himself for past deeds that were out of his control. It had been a long time since they had seen each other last. Once Kakashi was fully healed, Masao would make it a point to find out what was going on in his life. Kakashi was like a brother to him and he would make sure that Kakashi didn't resort back to this unremitting ways.

Hours had past before the medic and her assistant arrived. The monks ushered them both quickly into the infirmary where their patient was waiting for them. Masao stood to greet them and was impressed that the hokage had sent her own apprentice, who was currently the head medic to treat the injured man. Kakashi had told him about her prowess as a medic as well as a jounin the last time they had met. The pink haired woman was an ex-student of Kakashi's and he had told his friend how impressed he was with her progress as she matured. The way the man spoke about the young woman made Masao think that there was more to Kakashi's feelings than just respect. Watching the woman as she worked, he wondered how this young woman felt about Kakashi. It was obvious that she cared deeply for the man that was now comatose in the bed. A smile came to his face as he wondered if either of them really acknowledged their true feelings towards each other. Sakura looked as guarded as his long time friend. It was another subject he would broach with him once Kakashi had healed.

* * *

When the hokage summoned Sakura to her office, she never dreamed that Kakashi would be in so much trouble. She was glad she brought her assistant, Moegi, with her to help. Even though the girl was still learning, she was helpful when Sakura needed someone to support her while she worked her healing magic. The abbot had done well in stopping the progression of the poison that had surged through Kakashi's body. There was some damage, but she had no doubt that Kakashi would recover with minimal effects. After she was done with extracting the poison that was left in his body, she would need to sit down with the monk to ask about the jutsu he had used to slow the reaction down. It would be helpful out in the field to save lives of shinobi who find themselves poisoned during a mission. Focusing on her task, she started removing the toxin from Kakashi's body. There would be time later to talk with the abbot.

Hours went by before Sakura had finished with her task. She had no doubt that Kakashi would have been severely injured or dead if the man that was standing by his side hadn't treated him. Cold dread spread over her as she thought of losing her ex-sensei. Over the years they had become close and she didn't want to think of a world without his presence. She had come to rely on him as a close friend. Deep down inside, she felt so much more, but didn't want to risk losing his friendship if he didn't feel the same for her. Finally done with the procedure, she turned to her assistant to heal and bandage the areas that were still open. Sakura had depleted her chakra by all she had done for the man and didn't have the energy to treat the small wounds that were left. Moegi was more than qualified to take care of the rest.

Sakura collapsed into the chair beside the bed as she watched the girl work. She was surprised to see a pot of tea with some fruit waiting for her on the table next to the chair. Either she was more exhausted than she thought or the monks were very quiet as they moved. She thanked Kakashi's protector as she nourished her body to regain some of her strength back.

Once Moegi was done, Sakura quickly scanned Kakashi's body to make sure he was stable and that he was not in any pain before she put him to sleep. She had learned long ago to use the sleep jutsu that her master had taught her on Kakashi to make him stay put and heal. The man was well known for his aversion of hospitals and pushing himself before he was fully healed. Finding all his systems stable, she formed the hand seals to make him sleep so his body could heal. She couldn't help but smile at her handy work. Sakura told the abbot that her assistant would stay by Kakashi's side as he slept to monitor his progress. The man nodded and suggested that they talk in the other room as Kakashi slept. Before she left, she couldn't help but caress Kakashi's cheek to comfort the man she cared for so much. The gesture did not go unnoticed by the abbot as he waited by the door.

* * *

Masao escorted Sakura to the adjoining room and offered her the comfortable chair near the window. He thanked Sakura for saving his long time friend and told her the story how they met long ago. Sakura was amazed that Kakashi had been student at the temple. He had never shared that with her. It made sense to her now on how Kakashi could stay so calm under so much pressure. As she listened to the abbot, she made a mental note to ask Kakashi about his time spent here in the temple when he recovered. Kakashi had shared some of his past with her, but she was always amazed when she found out a little more about the man. His demeanor to the world was one of arrogance and laziness, but the closer she got to him and the more she learned, she realized that he was a reserved person who didn't want the recognition in the wondrous deeds he did for others.

The conversation turned to the jutsu that the abbot had used to slow the effects of the poison. Masao offered to teach her the jutsu so others could be saved by its effects. He warned her that it was an A class jutsu and not easily learned. Sakura thanked him and begged his forgiveness on her weariness. Smiling, Masao told her that there would be time for her to learn the jutsu later and that he knew that she was fatigued from healing Kakashi. He offered her a bed in the infirmary where Kakashi was located so she could rest and regain her energy. Assured that she would not be bothering any of the monks, she thanked Masao for his kindness. She told the abbot that they may have to stay awhile before moving Kakashi due to his condition. Knowing that his friend was severely injured, he told Sakura that Kakashi's return to good heath was all of their main focus at the temple, and to take as much time needed to make sure he was whole again. Masao enlightened her of Kakashi's deed of saving the temple and how the monks viewed him as their savior as he escorted her back to the infirmary.

As she listened to the tale, she realized there was much more to her friend than she imagined. Of all the people in Konoha, she knew him the best due to the closeness the two now shared. In the matter of her brief conversation with Masao, Sakura realized that there was much more to the infamous Copy Nin that he let on, even to her. Her interest was piqued. The abbot knew a lot about Kakashi and it was obvious that the two men shared a bond since Masao knew things about her and the relationship she had with Kakashi. In the coming days she would need to talk with the abbot more so she could find out more about the man she adored. The information may help her further their relationship in a way that was more than friends, in a way that she longed it would be. With a smile on her face, Sakura drifted off into slumber dreaming of the man that she longed to love, and for him to love her back.


	2. Chapter 2

_Disclaimer – I do not own Naruto or any characters of said story._

**Chapter 2**

As a couple days went by, Kakashi still did not awake from his coma. Sakura hovered over the silver-haired ninja constantly making sure that she didn't miss anything. The poison had spread due to his physical exertion as he sprinted to safety. Even though she knew that it would just take time for the poison to work its way out his body and that he wasn't in any danger, she worried that he was damaged in some way that she had missed and wouldn't come back to her. There were times at night that she would sit at the side of his bed and just watching him, playing with his spiky hair, watching him breathe.

Her thoughts would drift off to the stories that Masao had told her about Kakashi when they were younger living in the temple together. The stories fascinated her. She was learning a side of the man that she had known for years that she never dreamed of being aware of. Sakura was sure that the abbot was editing most of what he was sharing with her so he wouldn't betray his friend's trust, but it was a side of Kakashi that gave her a glimpse of why he acted the way he did. From the stories that Masao had told her about, Kakashi had more than his share of pain in his lifetime to deal with. First, he had to deal with the deaths of his father and mother, then his team mates, followed by his sensei. The death of his sensei had finally pushed him over the edge. The man was more like a father to him than his biological father had ever been to him. Dealing with so much death at such an early age sent the then teenage Kakashi into a self destructive spiral which ended him in the temple per the 3rd hokage's orders. The hokage was concerned about the protégé's mental state especially since Kakashi had just started with ANBU. The teen was taking too many risks for the hokage's taste and didn't want to risk losing the boy due to the emotional pain he was suffering from. Too many shinobi died in the same self destructive path the then teenaged Kakashi was on at that time.

Masao had also been a bit of a rebel in his youth and bonded with the teen, even though there was a six year difference between them. He saw himself in the angry young man and made it part of his personal quest to help the young Kakashi through the difficult time he was going through. Even though he had never admitted it to Kakashi, Masao told Sakura that he reveled in Kakashi's antics even though outwardly he could never show the satisfaction he felt when Kakashi questioned the authority of the then abbot. The day that Kakashi had mentally sparred the abbot in front of the whole group of monks and won, sealed their friendship. The two men had been the best of friends since, both sharing their dreams, triumphs, and failures with each other.

Sakura was pleased that Kakashi had such a good friend to share things with, especially since he was such a private man. Knowing what she now did only made her realize that she truly loved the man that was in her care. As she gazed upon his sleeping form, she wondered if he would ever feel the same for her. She chastised herself for loving unavailable males, but couldn't help herself when it came to Kakashi. Even if the man never felt the way she did, she would never change the way she felt. Sakura treasured their friendship and the closeness they currently had. That was enough for her, at least for right now. Leaning in close to him, Sakura gently kissed his forehead, then his masked lips, hoping one day that he would realize her feelings towards him and feel the same towards her.

* * *

Kakashi was mentally in and out of consciousness. The poison must have impaired him in such a way that he couldn't wake. He was aware of certain presences near him as he drifted through the darkness. Masao was nearby many times throughout the day and he could clearly sense when Sakura was next to him. Kakashi was amazed that the hokage had sent her to treat him. He must have been in pretty bad shape to have the head medic sent to the temple to tend to him. It was either that or that Tsunade knew that he wouldn't sit still enough for anyone else but Sakura. It was kind of a mute point since he couldn't even open his eyes right now.

Her presence drove him wild due to the feelings he had for her. Ever since she became an adult, he had realized that the way he felt toward his ex-student was more than just plain friendship. It all came to a head for him on her 19th birthday when he walked into the pub where her birthday party was being held and saw her in her new black dress. She wasn't the young genin that he remembered that worshiped the aloof Uchiha heir any more. She had definitely had grown in so many ways, and not just physically. He took in all of her assets as he studied her from across the room. She was powerful, but caring. Self assured, but still had an innocence about her. He was truly lost when he finally saw her as the adult she had blossomed into, that night. From that night forward, every time she walked by him, every time they met, there was a longing to be close to her in a way that he never had wanted with any other woman, let alone another human being. Even though he tried to deny it to himself, he was hopelessly in love with the pink haired woman.

For awhile, he had done everything in his power to avoid her and tried to convince himself it was just lust. As time went by, he realized that the way he felt about her had not changed even with the distance he had imposed. Realizing the folly of his assumptions, he then made a conscious effort to be the best friend that he could to her and let her slowly into his life, trusting her with some of the things he hid from the rest of the world hoping that their friendship would be enough for him. She was so much younger than him and deserved someone that wasn't as jaded as he was. He didn't want to drag her down into the abyss of misery and pain that he lived in. Thankfully, she didn't have a lot time to date so he didn't have to deal with the jealousy of another man in her life. Part of him selfishly hoped that day would never come and that she might realize how much he cared for her. He was pleased that he had mastered his training on controlling his emotions so he would never make her feel that she was obligated to feel the same way he did. Deep down, he hoped that one day she would come to love him the same way he loved her and welcome him into her life with open arms.

Through the days that he passed in his unconsciousness, Sakura had a calming effect on him any time she was close. The nightmares that plagued him disappeared when she was physically there next to him. There was an uncomfortable buzzing in his brain that grew worse as each day that passed. His nightmares were increasingly becoming more and more real, creating terror within him. He was slowly reliving the worst parts of his life. Every day he was losing the people that were most precious to him over and over again. At first, it was just the average nightmares that he normally experienced from time to time. He knew that they weren't real. As each day passed, the visions he relived became more vivid. It was hard to tell if it was really happening to him again or not. When Sakura was besides him, her chakra chased away the horrible visions and he could finally sleep knowing that she was there to protect him if they were truly real. Soon, her presence didn't shelter him anymore. He felt a heat that he couldn't escape and his mind replayed the deaths of all of the people he ever loved in his head. No matter how hard he struggled, he could not escape the horror that played in his mind.

* * *

Sakura noticed a change in Kakashi as they neared the 4th day of his coma. His temperature was slowly rising and he was becoming more restless. Everything she did to alleviate his symptoms met with negative results. She had saved some of the toxin that she removed from his body and began studying it again to find a clue on what was happening to him. The poison was more complex than she had first thought. It was something that had not been seen before. She deduced that it had a hidden effect that worsened as each day that went by. Pouring over her scrolls and the scrolls of the temple, she searched in vain for anything that would help her cure the man in her care.

On the 5th afternoon, Moegi had sought her out in the temple's library panicked by how high Kakashi's temperature had rose. The girl had done well keeping his fever down up until that point. It had risen dangerously to 38.6˚ C. Sakura hurried back to his side to see what she could do to bring it down back closer to normal. When she walked into the room, Kakashi was struggling against some unseen force. She ran to his side and used her usual jutsu to bring down his temperature. When that failed, she bade Moegi to get some ice or rubbing alcohol so they could manually bring down his fever. Quickly, she grabbed one of the hand towels in the infirmary and wet it with cool water as the girl did her bidding. She placed it on his fevered brow as she loosened the clothing that he was in making sure that his mask was in place to respect his privacy. With others around, she knew that he would not like to be uncovered. For the time being, she left the mask on.

As she worked, he started struggling and began calling her name. Sakura tried to soothe him with her soft words trying to tell him that she was here with him and that he was safe. His breathing increased as he mentally battled whatever was plaguing him. She felt helpless as she watched him experience the nightmare that was terrorizing him. This was a part of Kakashi that she had never seen before, the look of absolute terror in his face and it scared her. As she caressed his face, his hands clenched hers as he suddenly looked wide eyed into her eyes and called her name. He sank back into the bed, drifting back in his feverish state, and begged her not to leave him. A tear of frustration ran down her face as she tried to comfort the man she loved, knowing that her efforts, for now, were in vain.

Moegi finally returned with Masao in tow. Soon the monks were bringing chunks of ice from their storage to help lower Kakashi's fever. Their strong arms lifted him so they could pack him in ice. If Sakura couldn't lower his fever soon, she wouldn't be able to prevent the damage it would cause to his brain. Following her instructions, Moegi and the monks kept up the treatment and monitored Kakashi's temperature closely so she could make plans on bringing him back to Konoha.

* * *

For Kakashi, the heat of his body kept increasing making it difficult for him to think straight while he was mentally alert. The periods of when he was aware of the people that were around him were becoming shorter and shorter. Soon the nightmares had taken over. They were so real that it was hard to tell what was reality or not. His mind was reliving each death of the people that were close to him – his father, his mother, his sensei, Obito, and finally Rin. As the heat became worse, Sakura's image replaced Rin's. His mind played her death and how inadequate he was to save her over and over again. At one point, he could hear Sakura's soft words trying to soothe him. For a moment, the torment of her impending death was quelched but soon the inevitable would happen. He was helpless as he watched Sakura die a horrible death by the attackers in his brain. Kakashi clutched her hands feebly and called her name as he watched them snuff her out of existence. Unable to determine if the vision before him was real, he slipped into despair with the knowledge that he was too weak to save her. Soon afterwards, he felt waves of coolness enveloping him and dragging him down to the comfort of the blackness that was starting to surround him. In the darkness, he could forget the image of the one person that he loved the most being cruelly murdered as he watched helpless to alter the outcome. He hoped if the images that played out before him where real, that he too had been killed so he didn't have to bear the pain of living his life without Sakura. A life without her would be unbearable and he didn't know if he could survive the pain of her loss. A peace washed over him as he finally surrendered to the sweet oblivion.

* * *

Sakura remained composed until she left the room with Masao. As she turned to him, he voiced her exact concerns about getting Kakashi back to the village as soon as possible so he could receive the treatment he desperately needed. The abbot pledged to help her any way possible to see that his friend safely home. He excused himself to make plans so they could leave immediately and asked her for a list of supplies that she would need during the journey. She promised to have the list ready by the time he returned

Sakura was at a loss. She cursed the rogue ninja that had poisoned Kakashi. It was obvious that someone with a vast knowledge of poisons had concocted the toxin. Quickly going over a list of the supplies she needed, she penned it all down so Masao could have one of the monks ready it all for them. Taking the vial of the toxin that she had saved from Kakashi's blood, she stared at the purple liquid trying to think of something from her knowledge of poisons so she could save him. She had to get the toxin back to Konoha before they arrived so Tsunade could have a look at it. Kakashi's best chance of survival hinged on the hokage's vast knowledge of poisons and the antidotes needed to reverse it, but she was at a loss on how to get it back.

All of a sudden she had an idea, but she didn't know if it would work. Quickly she went to Kakashi's jacket and started to rummage through his scrolls. Finally finding the scroll she was searching for, she went to Kakashi's bedside and grabbed a vial off the table. Everyone in the room looked at her puzzled by what she was doing. With a smile, she took off out the door. Spreading the scroll before her, she made the proper hand signs and pressed her hand with Kakashi's blood on it to the floor with a silent plea for her plan to work. With a poof, a small pug appeared.

"Yo," he said as he looked around at his surroundings, looking for his master. All he saw was Sakura, with Kakashi nowhere to be found.

"Hey, what's the big idea? Where's the boss?" he questioned the smiling woman.

"I summoned you, Pakuun," she said to the confused dog, "I have a mission for you."

"No sir, no way," he growled, "I didn't make any deals with you to do your bidding."

Sakura explained the situation to the small dog and the importance of getting the vial with the purple liquid back to the hokage as fast as he could go to help save Kakashi's life. After hearing the woman though, he agreed to do as she asked because it involved Kakashi' well being. The dog made sure that Sakura understood that he would not be doing things for her on a regular basis until both of them came to an agreement and went through the proper ritual of becoming a summons. Until that time, he politely requested that she didn't do what she just did again, unless of course, Kakashi's life was on the line. Sakura thanked the dog for his understanding and agreed to his terms as she placed the vial in the pack on his back. With a nod, the pug was off on his mission. Once things calmed down, she would need to talk to Tsunade or Kakashi about a summon animal so if the need arose again, she wouldn't have to bother the pug again.

All the preparations were made and by morning the group was packed and ready to go. Since Kakashi's fever wasn't all the way down, Masao had readied a cart so Sakura could treat Kakashi as they travelled. A group of six monks accompanied them just in case they ran into any trouble. Bidding Sakura farewell, the abbot asked that she keep him apprised of Kakashi's condition and to come back soon for a visit. Promising him that she would do both, the small group left the confines of the temple and headed towards Konoha. Sakura silently prayed that she could keep his fever down long enough to make the trip.

With Moegi riding up front with one of the monks due to the limited space, Sakura leaned in close to Kakashi's ear to tell him that they were on their way home and that she would keep him safe until they arrived. Brushing his hair from his forehead, she caressed him making sure that his fever wasn't elevated again and just to touch him. Finding his temperature acceptable, she softly kissed his forehead. A smile spread across her lips as she watched him relax knowing that he felt her presence. She made a silent promise to speak to him about her feelings towards him once he was well again, as she watched him sleep. No longer would she hold back, not after almost losing him. Sakura prayed that she wasn't too late and that he would find his way back to her from the abyss he was currently in.


	3. Chapter 3

_Disclaimer – I do not own Naruto or any characters of said story._

**Chapter 3**

Sakura put Kakashi's head in her lap to protect him from the jostling of the cart and to be close to him to make sure his fever didn't elevate too much. Kakashi had been restless until she moved closer to him and cradled his head in her lap. From what she could assess, he was still feverish but it was low enough that it wouldn't cause serious damage. Moegi had run on ahead to make sure that the hospital was ready to treat Kakashi when they got to the gates of the village.

She hoped that the hokage had come up with an antidote or a plan of action so they could save him. Sakura didn't like that Kakashi had been unconscious for so long. She knew that the longer he stayed in the coma, the worse the prognosis would be. Trying to keep her hopes up, she visualized Kakashi waking and teasing her like he always had. Normally it was easy for her to maintain her professionalism, but with the given circumstances and her finally realizing the depth of her feelings, it was hard to keep her mind from wandering about how bad this could turn out if Tsunade couldn't treat him.

* * *

Soon the small caravan was nearing their destination. A team of medics met them at the doors of Konoha and quickly transported Kakashi to the hospital. Moegi was also waiting there to escort the monks to the rooms that the hokage had made ready so they could rest after their long journey. Sakura followed the team to the hospital, giving them vital information as they went.

Tsunade was waiting for them at the hospital with a team of poison specialists. After the medics placed him on the bed, the team went to work, giving Kakashi the antidote that Tsunade had made for him. Sakura stood back as the hokage did her evaluation. Outwardly, Sakura seemed her normal calm and collected self, internally she was a ball of nerves.

"Sakura, I concur with your evaluation. You did well with your treatment and supportive measures," the hokage told her as they moved to the back of the intensive care room, "He is very lucky I sent you. If it was anyone else that went there, I don't think he would have survived."

Sakura blushed and thanked her shishou for her kind words. Even though she was the best medic in the village, excluding the hokage, Sakura still didn't feel that she could compare with her mentor. It was one of the things that Tsunade admired about her student. She didn't let her knowledge and skill go to her head. In Sakura's mind, she still had a lot to learn and a lot she had to do to improve on her skills. Tsunade knew that one day her prized student would surpass her and would be content when that day finally came. She also knew that the pink haired young woman would never let her ability go to her head which would ruin her as a medic.

Tsunade listened to her student as she reported on everything that had happened medically to Kakashi at the temple. Sakura also told the hokage about the jutsu that the abbot had used to slow the progression of the poison in Kakashi's system. After Sakura was done, Tsunade told her about the poison that she had removed from Kakashi. It was a three stage poison, something new that intelligence had heard mentioned recently. The debunked Sound Village had been working on the poison, from what the sources had told them. From what the hokage had gathered, Kabuto was back to his old tricks and had organized a few followers trying to resurrect the village that his mentor had founded. All the villages were disturbed by the new turn of events and were working overtime to make sure that the Sound Village would not renew its reign of terror. The discovery of the poison confirmed all of their deepest fears.

The way the poison worked was three fold. First, it paralyzed the victim mimicking a simple poison. Secondly, it would start shutting down major organs putting the victim into a coma, again mimicking a simple poison. The victim would be treated with the expectation of the poison working its way out of the victims system in a couple of days. The victim would physically do better in a day or so throwing off the medics. If the poison was not removed physically from the body in the first few hours, it would work its way to the third step – attacking the brain and the memories that the victim held. The poison would activate the victim's fears and any memories of trauma sending them eventually into psychosis. By the time the victim showed the symptoms of the third stage, it was too late to remove the toxin.

Sakura's quick thinking and experience had saved Kakashi the full force of the poison by her removing as much toxin as she could. His current condition was the outcome. The toxin was trying to attack his memories, but didn't have the strength needed to complete the job thus causing the high fevers. The hokage was uncertain on the side effects that Kakashi would experience due to the poison not being at its full strength. She did not know if his memory would be affected. Tsunade expected that Kakashi would relive some of the trauma from his past, but didn't know if it would progress on to permanent psychosis. Unfortunately, they would have to sit and wait to see what happened. Hopefully the antidote that she had prepared would lessen the effects. At least now they knew the rumors were true and could alert the medics in the field so more shinobi could be saved.

In Kakashi's case, the problem was that the poison had spread throughout his system due to him running for safety. In the hokage's opinion, that is why the silvered hair shinobi was suffering the side effects now. Tsunade put Sakura in charge of his care and took her off of everything else so she could focus on healing him. The hokage didn't want to lose one of her elite and best shinobi to this poison. It would be a great blow to the village if Kakashi couldn't function in his job any more. She told her student that she wanted daily updates and for Sakura to use anything necessary to cure him. Tsunade also secretly suspected Sakura's feelings towards her ex-sensei and knew that she would be constantly in his room anyway. The way she saw Kakashi looking at her student convinced her that he felt the same for Sakura. She just hoped that things turned out well and Kakashi didn't sink into psychosis.

* * *

As the hokage left the room, Sakura digested everything that her mentor had shared with her. Part of her wanted to hunt down Kabuto and take care of him once and for all so he couldn't hurt any more of the people that she loved. Her rational side knew that her vengeance wouldn't solve anything for Kakashi. All she could do now is treat him to the best of her abilities, and pray for the best. A man like Kakashi would have experienced many horrors during his life time. She didn't want him to suffer by having to live them over and over again. Summoning Moegi, she told the girl to go to the medical library to bring her everything she could find on treating brain injuries and post traumatic stress syndrome. Sakura would need to plan ahead before Kakashi woke and come up with some type of treatment just in case he suffered the worst.

After her assistant left her to retrieve the information she requested, Sakura walked over to the bed where Kakashi was resting. His face, for now, was peaceful. He looked like a boy instead of a 35 year old man. Her hand went to his cheek and softly caressed it. She longed for him to be awake so she could share her feelings with him, but she knew it would have to wait. Spending all this time with him and nearly losing him broke down her weak excuses on why she shouldn't love this man. When the time finally came for her to confess her feelings, she hoped that he wouldn't reject her. Ino was convinced that the infamous Copy Ninja was head over heels in love with Sakura by the way the man looked at her and things that he would not do for anyone else but her. Their relationship had grown ever since her 19th birthday, becoming closer and closer. He had let her into his life in a way that no one else had ever had the privilege of sharing with him. She was heartened by this and hoped that they could move on to the next step of their relationship. Bending over, she kissed his forehead, telling him that she would find a way to heal him, not to give up, and that she loved him.

* * *

Kakashi felt Sakura's presence during their trip on the way home. His nightmares started plaguing him again but soon disappeared when he felt Sakura place his head in her lap. He could feel the coolness flowing from her hands as they treated him. Sleep found him for awhile until he felt his body being lifted and whisked away from her presence. The next thing he remembered is the smell of antiseptic and being placed in a bed where a needle violated his arm. At first he felt the sting of the liquid that invaded his body through the said needle, only to be replaced by a soothing feeling. He could feel Sakura nearby but couldn't make out what she was saying or who she was talking to. Drifting off, he surrendered to darkness again, waking when he felt Sakura's presence next to him again. Her caress of his cheek was so gentle, comforting. As she kissed his forehead, he could have swore that she told him that she loved him and that she would find a way to heal him. Hoping that this wasn't another delusion, he held on to her words of her love and promise to bring him back to the world of consciousness.

* * *

Sakura poured over the scrolls that Moegi had brought to her from the medical library. Due to the work they did, there were many scrolls documenting post traumatic stress syndrome and the treatments that were used. She did have a harder time finding info on the treatment of brain injury. There seemed like a lot of speculation on how to adequately treat it. As she did her research, she stayed near in Kakashi's room waiting until he awoke. All in all, the scrolls provided her a good review of the mechanics of the brain and which areas controlled what part of the body. Sakura wrote down which major nerves controlled specific parts of the body so she had a quick reference if she needed it. As the day wore on she found herself telling the unconscious man in the bed about the interesting facts she found about the mechanics of the human body. Moegi came to relieve her near dinner time so Sakura could go home to freshen up and eat before she came back to start her night vigil. Sakura gave the girl strict orders to find her if any major changes happened.

Sakura made her way home to her apartment, took a quick shower, and dressed. Wanting something fast, she ran to Ichiraku for some ramen. Sasuke and Naruto were sitting there talking when she got there. The men greeted her and made room for her to sit down between them. Both asked about Kakashi's condition and she shared what had happened to him as she waited for her dinner to arrive. Knowing what she did about Sasuke's team before he came back to the village, Sakura asked Sasuke about how he was able to calm Juugo down when the man lost his control. Sasuke told her that they had a mutual respect and Juugo was the one to calm himself down. He wasn't sure what the large man did to do to achieve his calm again, but suggested that Sakura speak to the now gentle giant about it. Sakura thanked him and would keep it in mind in case she needed more info. Both men told her that they would come by to visit Kakashi soon and hoped that he healed quickly as the pink haired woman stood to go back to the hospital. As she left, both men were impressed with their childhood friend on the way she had grown both physically and mentally, and by the accomplished medic she had become. She was no longer the "weak one" of the group and both men were pleased that she had found her true calling in life.

* * *

Kakashi had felt when Sakura's presence had disappeared for a short time when she left to go home and eat. Knowing she would be back, he tried to rest. He could feel Sakura's assistant next to him checking on him every so often. He chuckled to himself knowing that Sakura had given the girl specific instructions on what she needed to do while she was gone. The buzzing in his brain had lessened considerably and it didn't hurt to think for the time being. The one thing he hoped for was that the nightmares would stay away. He couldn't bear to watch any more of his love ones die any more. Each time his mind played each nightmare, it took a piece of him with it. He slowly drifted into the darkness again hoping that Sakura would be back soon.

* * *

When she arrived back at Kakashi's room, Moegi gave her a run down on everything that had happened while she was gone, which wasn't much. The good news was that Kakashi's vital signs were stabilizing, especially his temperatures. Pleased, Sakura gave her assistant her instructions for tomorrow morning and bid the girl good night. Settling into the comfy recliner that Moegi had brought for her next to Kakashi's bed, Sakura looked out the window at the setting sun. Things were looking up with Kakashi's condition, but she knew that they had a long road ahead of them before he fully recovered.

After reading some more medical scrolls, Sakura began to tire. She quickly checked his vital signs and checked him over before she fell asleep. Saying good night to him, she kissed his cheek and took his hand in hers. Exhausted both mentally and physically, Sakura promptly fell asleep.

* * *

Kakashi could feel when Sakura came back into the room. He relaxed when he felt her presence near him. Her warmth of her healing hands washed over him as she checked his vital signs. Soon the heat from her hands was gone and part of him wished for her to be close to him again. As soon the thought left his mind, he felt Sakura's lips on his cheek. A wave of electricity swept through him leaving him content in a way he had never felt before. Her hand held his as she settled into the chair besides him. After a few moments, her grip loosened slightly as she fell asleep. Kakashi was bewildered by her actions. He wished that he could see her facial expressions so he could judge what her intentions were. His mind wandered over the reason she was showing so much affection to him. Could it be that she felt the same way he did about her? Heartened by the possibility, he would pay close attention to what she did as time went on. Hopefully he would be awake so he could see her facial expressions so he could judge what her true feelings were toward him.

Almost immediately, Kakashi found himself in the midst of the forest, sensing danger all around. As he scanned the area, he could not tell if this was another dream or reality. He could sense Sakura's chakra near him but couldn't see her figure. Looking down at his body, he took note that he was dressed in his ANBU gear. As he turned, he saw Sakura behind him crouching clad in an ANBU uniform with a feline mask adorning her face. Next to her was Genma, also in his gear. Both looked up at him waiting for his instructions. Not being able to differentiate if this was real or dream, he figured that he needed to treat what he saw as reality so he didn't put his team mates in danger. Scanning the area, he picked up six chakra signatures that had surrounded them. Giving them hand signals on how many enemy there was and his instructions, all disappeared to execute his plan.

Kakashi felt Sakura's genjutsu surround the enemy. As soon as they felt the enemy fall into Sakura's trap, his team went to work. Genma and Kakashi made quick work of the four enemies nearest to them. Closing in on the last two, the enemy broke through the genjutsu. The enemy took defensive stances and prepared to meet Kakashi and Genma's attack head on. As they battled, it became clear that these two were high level shinobi. Kakashi couldn't see where Sakura was hiding. Using his sharingan he located where she was hiding and noticed two more shinobi rapidly closing in on her. He swiftly dispatched his opponent and sped towards the two that were stalking Sakura.

When he finally reached the area she was in, Sakura was doing battle with the two enemy shinobi. Kakashi noticed a large gash on her left side that she had hurriedly stopped most of the bleeding so she could fight. A small trickle of blood was running down her left leg as she fought off her attackers. Sensing her dwindling chakra, he jumped in front of her to take on the two attackers. Sakura pulled back and leaned against a large rock to catch her breath before healing herself.

Kakashi was finishing off his last opponent when he heard Sakura scream behind him. When he turned, he saw her in the clutches of the enemy with a blade at her neck. With a smile, the enemy nin slit Sakura's throat. Crumpling to the ground, Kakashi watched in horror as Sakura's life blood drained from her body. Her eyes stared at him startled by what had just happened. A tear rolled down her cheek as she mouthed his name. Rage washed over him as he tore through Sakura's killer's body with his chidori. After he was done, he ran to her side, throwing his mask aside, and clasped her close to him.

"Sakura, don't leave me," he said, "Please, I love you. "

Kakashi kissed her cooling lips. Sakura mouthed that she loved him too as she slipped into the next realm.

"No, Sakura, don't go," he cried, "NO! SAKURA DON'T LEAVE ME!!!"

* * *

Sakura felt Kakashi stirring next to her and woke to check him. Feeling his forehead, she noticed that his temperature was up slightly, but not high as it had been since this all began. She noticed that he was struggling and tried to calm him with soothing words in his ear. He seemed to calm, so she went to the washroom to wet a wash cloth to put on his brow. Once she came to his side, Kakashi clutched her wrist tightly.

"Sakura, don't leave me," he said, "Please, I love you. "

She stared down at the man in the bed shocked by what he just said. 'Just dreaming, Sakura, he's just dreaming,' she told herself, trying not to get her hopes up. His grip was tight like he was hanging on to life itself. She bent over and told him that she loved him too hoping it would soothe him. Sakura would sort out her feelings later after he calmed down. Knowing that what she had just told him was how she really felt about the silver haired man, she knew that he wouldn't remember her confession. His grip tightened.

"No, Sakura, don't go," he cried, "NO! SAKURA DON'T LEAVE ME!!!"

Kakashi shot up in the bed, eyes open, panicked. He grabbed her tightly and pulled her into his embrace, pressing his lips on hers.

After he released her, Kakashi's hands went to her face, tracing her features. The intensity of his eyes burned to her soul spreading warmth throughout her body.

"Please, Sakura, please tell me that this is real and you are not gone," he whispered.

"Yes, Kakashi," she told him, "I'm real."

He clutched her to his chest thankful he hadn't lost her again. Even though he knew that all the times that he had lost her was just in his nightmares, silent tears ran down his face thankful he hadn't lost her once again.

Looking up at him, she noticed tears on his face. Concerned by what she saw, she broke their embrace and caressed his face wiping the tears away.

"Kakashi, are you okay?" she said distressed by his unusual actions. She quickly started scanning him hoping he wasn't experiencing any new symptoms. Even though Sakura was thrilled that he was finally awake, this wasn't the cool, calm Kakashi that she knew. His profession of his feelings pleasantly shocked her, but she couldn't help but feeling that something was majorly off or the toxin had damaged something in his brain.

Smiling at her, "I'm more than okay now that I have the real you in my arms." Kakashi tipped up her chin and kissed her deeply.

After awhile, he released her so she could assess his condition properly. The blush on her cheeks hadn't cooled since he loosened his embrace. She questioned him on what he had experienced while he was unconscious while she did her assessment. He patiently answered all of her questions, but all he wanted to do is hold her tight and kiss her thoroughly. Being conscious again, he quickly regained his self-control before he scared her away. Watching her while she worked, he noticed her blush still hadn't disappeared, and how her touch would linger after she was done assessing a certain area or body system. He could feel her pulse bounding when she touched him and her breathing increasing when she leaned in close to him. A sly smile played on his lips as he realized that she was just as affected by his presence as he was.

After she was all done assessing him, she stepped back and looked into his eyes. Kakashi had a smile on his lips and had taken hold of her hand again. The two just stared at each other, seeing each other in a new light.

"Well," Kakashi finally said clearing his throat, "I guess we have some things to talk about."

"Yes," she shyly said, "but you need to get some rest still. You still are not 100%."

"Hmmm," he said quietly, as his thumb ran slow soothing circles over the top of her hand. "Sakura, would you mind joining me here in bed so I can just hold you? Your presence seems to chase away the nightmares."

Sakura stared at him trying to gauge if he was telling the truth or just stretching it so they could be close. After a few moments, her inner self convinced her that it didn't make a difference which it was, she just wanted to be near the man. In the time it took her to battle with her inner self, she could tell that Kakashi was being truthful by the look in his eyes. She knew that no one would dare come into the room unless she told them too in fear of her retribution, so they wouldn't be interrupted.

With her blush deepening, she nodded her consent and climbed up on the bed into his waiting arms. His arms encircled her and drew her close to him. He gently kissed the top of her head and cheek before drifting off to sleep. Sakura noticed that Kakashi had relaxed more than she had ever seen him do before. Satisfied that he was well for the moment and enjoying being in his arms, she drifted off to sleep too.

* * *

Tsunade was restless and had stopped by the hospital to check on things. She loved surprising the staff to keep them on their toes. The look of panic was priceless as she strode through the doors and noticed the person at the front desk quickly dialing the phone to let the night supervisor know that she had arrived. Within minutes, the night supervisor greeted her with coffee in hand, to give her the low down on what was happening in the hospital. Thanking her for her report and the coffee, Tsunade told her that she needed to check on some critical patients that she was taking care of.

After the hokage had finished her rounds, she decided to check in on Sakura. Waving to the staff at the desk, she quietly opened the door to Kakashi's room, not wanting to wake either if they were sleeping. She couldn't hide her reaction of shock as she saw the two in bed together, Kakashi's arms protectively around her favorite student. With a smile, she slowly closed the door content with what she saw. Turning to the desk, she told the staff that Sakura was not to be disturbed under no circumstances, and no one was to enter the room unless Sakura bade them, threatening dire consequences if she heard anything to the contrary. Moegi had just arrived to hear the end of Tsunade's warning to the staff, and looked up questioningly to the hokage.

"Good you're here Moegi," the hokage smiled at her, "I have need of your services today. Come along."

The confused girl acknowledged the hokage's request and followed their leader into the hospital. Tsunade would stop in later to check in on Sakura and Kakashi. Smiling to herself, she told herself that it would be a good day.


	4. Chapter 4

_Disclaimer – I do not own Naruto or any characters of said story. _

_Mature themes in this chapter - Violence_

**Chapter 4**

The sun streaming through the gap in the curtains woke Sakura. Slowly, she opened her eyes and tried to focus on her surroundings as she tried to remember where she was. The gentle pressure around her waist and the warmth of the body next to her promptly reminded her of the events of last night and where she had spent the night. It had been awhile since she had a good night's sleep. Kakashi's presence was soothing to her and she enjoyed the closeness that they shared. Noting that the sun was fully up, she anxiously looked at her watch and noticed it was 10:00 already. In a panic, she tried to jump up only to have Kakashi's arm around her waist restrain her.

With a heavy sigh, she turned to face him. "Kakashi," she said softly not to startle him, "Kakashi, I need to get up."

"Hnn," he mumbled.

"Kakashi, I need to get up. I'm really late for a meeting with the hokage. She's going to kill me!"

"Hnnn…no she won't. You're her favorite," he said sleepily as he released her from his embrace.

Sakura sprang from the bed and ran into the bathroom to assess her appearance. Kakashi watched her sleepily as she ran quickly around the room. He had to stifle a laugh because he knew it would infuriate her if he did, but she looked so comical running frantically around the room. Finally, satisfied with her appearance, at least all she could do for the moment, her attention turned back to him.

"Be good while I'm gone," she teased, "I'll be back as soon as I can." She leaned down and kissed him on his forehead and ran out the door. The silver haired man mumbled something and promptly fell back to sleep.

* * *

Closing the door, she told the nurses to check on Kakashi in about two hours since he was sleeping and to be cautious with how they approached him due to his status. She walked hurriedly down the corridor towards the hokage's office. As she made her way down the hallway, she wondered where Moegi had gone off to. Usually the girl was prompt and would do small things to occupy her time until Sakura arrived. She wondered if Moegi had been sent on an errand by someone since the girl was probably sitting there for hours. Sakura let out a deep sigh as she drew nearer to Tsunade's office door. She hoped that the hokage would be in a forgiving mood today since she was late for their meeting by 2 hours. Her fate would be decided on the hokage's frame of mind for the day. Telling herself that there was nothing that she could do about it now, she steeled herself for the worst while hoping for the best.

Tsunade heard a timid knock at the door, and could sense Sakura's chakra outside her door. Telling her to come in, the hokage could not help but chuckle to herself when her apprentice nervously entered the office looking very remorseful.

"Sorry for being so late, Shishou," Sakura said dejectedly, "I got tied up with something this morning."

"Come in and sit down Sakura," Tsunade snickered. The hokage would wait to confront Sakura on what she had seen earlier at a later date. She was more interested to hear about Kakashi's current condition.

Sakura moved apprehensively across the room to one of the chairs near her mentor's desk confused by her mentor's response. She took the seat with the easiest route to move out of the way just in case Tsunade's temper flared. The woman had a bad habit of throwing objects when she was riled. Sakura didn't want to spend her day in the emergency room nursing an injury if her mentor lost her temper. Moegi knocked and came into the room looking at Sakura desperately for relief from the hokage's endless tasks. Tsunade thanked the girl as she received the scrolls she had requested and gave her a list of things she wanted done next. Moegi bowed knowing that her day would be spent with the hokage instead of Sakura and that she needed to accept her fate for the day.

As soon as Moegi made her exit and closed the door, Tsunade asked the pink haired woman sitting before her about Kakashi's current condition. Relieved that there weren't any projectiles being thrown at her head and Tsunade's surprisingly good mood, Sakura updated Tsunade on his condition and how he had awoken during one of his nightmares last night. The blond woman listened intently as Sakura gave her report. It was obvious that Kakashi was suffering with the side effect of the poison, but the hokage couldn't help but wonder how long he would suffer from this symptom. Both women hoped that this would be a temporary thing and started discussing how to proceed with Kakashi's treatment.

* * *

Kakashi fell back to sleep once Sakura left the room. At first, he drifted back into the calm darkness of his dream state, but after awhile that all changed. He was in the middle of a forest, the forest near the place that has Obito died in. As he walked, something compelled him to go to the rock pile where his team mate had met his untimely death. His friend was there waiting for him, under the same rock that crushed him to death. Obito began to berate him for all the things Kakashi had done to let him down, how he failed to keep his promise to protect Rin, and how he regretted giving him the sharingan since Kakashi was a failure from his prospective. Kakashi didn't argue since he also blamed himself for the same shortcomings and the promises he didn't fulfill to the deceased Uchiha. He could feel the cloak of depression closing in on him. It weighed heavily on the infamous Copy Nin. No matter what he did, the facts of his failures were still the same. Nothing could erase his jaded past.

Soon the scene changed, and Kakashi was standing in the village, just after the Kyuubi had attacked. He had just come back from a mission and was too late to help save his sensei. In the dream, he ran towards the battle zone where the fourth hokage was in the process of sealing the Kyuubi, thus ending his life. As Kakashi ran towards his sensei, it seemed like he wasn't making any progress. In fact, the image of his sensei kept getting further and further away from him. No matter what he did, his legs felt like they were loaded down with weights. A feeling of despair washed over him as he watched the man that was like a father to him die in front of him. The vision before him narrowed into darkness only leaving his mentor's crumpled and battered body in the distance. His breathing had increased due to the despair he was feeling. When he reached the pinnacle of feeling his loss, the vision disappeared into the darkness making him feel alone and depressed.

He didn't have to wait long for the next nightmare to begin. Kakashi found himself on a bridge, the bridge where he battled Zabuza so long ago. Quickly taking in his surroundings, he found the old team 7 protecting the old bridge maker, kunai drawn in anticipation of the impending battle. Kakashi lifted up his forehead protector to use his sharingan only to find that his vision with it was spotty. As he drew closer to his genin team to protect them, Sasuke was taken down by Zabuza's great sword. The Uchiha heir was sliced in half through his midsection, blood spurting everywhere. He could hear Sakura's and Naruto's pained screams of despair as they watched their team mate die in front of them. Before he could stop him, Naruto lunged at Zabuza in anger to what was done to his comrade. Although Naruto put up a valiant fight, mainly due to the partial release of the Kyuubi, he was cut down just like his friend.

Kakashi watched in horror as the two boys went down. His legs were glued to the ground and his voice was gone. The two boy's torsos landed near his feet, their blood soaking the ground where they lay, with both of their eyes looking up at him accusing him of being incompetent while their voiceless mouths questioned why he didn't protect them as he had promised. Sakura was weeping uncontrollably, while still keeping her stand to protect the bridge maker, covered in her team mates blood. Finally, his legs gave way so he could move. Taking a protective stance in front of her, Kakashi swore to her that she would not be harmed. The visage of girl he once knew transformed into the adult that he now loved. Zabuza was walking menacing towards them vowing to cut down the one thing that Kakashi truly loved – Sakura.

* * *

The nursing staff had let Kakashi sleep the two hours that Sakura requested. Ryu was elected to check on him and check his vital signs. He had just passed his chuunin exam recently and was the only one on the floor that was trained as a ninja. Even though the nursing staff was truly smitten with Kakashi, knowing that he was having nightmares scared a few of them due to his status of an elite. Some of them had bad experiences with other seasoned warriors and shied away from them whenever they could. Ryu gathered his gear and headed down the hallway to Kakashi's room. He hoped that the infamous Copy Nin would sleep through what he had to do and it would be over quickly.

* * *

Zabuza circled the small group, looking for an opening to cut them down. While he circled, he taunted Kakashi hoping to make him attack him first. He really didn't want to hurt the girl, since she was such a beauty. Taking down Kakashi first would guarantee that he would have some time to "enjoy" her company, and then he would decide how to dispose of her. When Zabuza started propositioning Sakura, Kakashi growled his displeasure. With a devious laugh, Zabuza disappeared into the mist that surrounded them, grabbing Sakura with him. Kakashi searched frantically fearing for her safety. Haku suddenly appeared in the mist in front of him. He quickly grabbed hold of the boy hoping that he could negotiate Sakura's release. Calling out to Zabuza, Kakashi announced that he had his prized student and proposed that they make a deal to exchange hostages.

* * *

Ryu walked into Kakashi's room and noticed that the silver haired shinobi was asleep. As quietly as he could, he started his assessment on the man. While he was listening to Kakashi's chest, his hand swept up and quickly caught hold of Ryu. Kakashi jumped out of the bed with amazing speed and held him in a head lock. He began to yell that he had a hostage and proposed an exchange. Ryu was confused by Kakashi's actions and never had seen someone move as fast as Kakashi did. Soon there was a group at the door trying to find out what was going on due to the yelling that they heard. It was obvious that Kakashi was stuck in his dream state, but the man was too strong for Ryu to break free. Ryu hoped, for his sake, that someone would do something fast before Kakashi followed through on whatever plan he was reliving.

* * *

Tsunade and Sakura were discussing what was going on in the hospital when Moegi burst into the hokage's office.

"Sakura-sensei! Sakura-sensei! You need to come quick! Kakashi-sempai is going to kill one of the medics on the floor!" Moegi shrieked.

The two women looked up at her shocked. "What did you say?" Sakura asked starting to panic.

"Kakashi-sempai has Ryu in a headlock and is threatening to kill him unless some man named Zabuza release you," the girl said panting.

"Zabuza?" the hokage said, "He's been dead for years."

The three women took off down the hall towards Kakashi's room hoping that he would wake soon and realize that he wasn't trapped in his nightmare any more. He would be mortified if any harm came to the boy he held prisoner while he was in dream state. Sakura couldn't help but worry that his symptoms were getting worse.

When they got to his room, Ryu was in a headlock with his arm twisted behind his back. Tsunade cleared the room and sent Moegi to find Sasuke and Naruto just in case things got dicey. Sakura carefully made her way into the room and Tsunade followed closing the door behind them.

"Kakashi," Sakura said soothingly, "Kakashi, it's me, Sakura."

Kakashi's head turned to the sound of her voice slightly loosening his grip slightly on Ryu. She was amazed at his control while he was still unconscious, but he had been an ANBU captain so it shouldn't have been a such surprise to her.

"Kakashi, please let the boy go. I'm ok. I'm not harmed in any way."

Sakura carefully walked near him so he could feel her chakra. As soon as she was close enough, he released his hold on Ryu but took a defensive stance just in case. Sakura motioned to the boy to carefully step away from them and not to run. Ryu cautiously backed away from the couple and made his way towards the hokage. Tsunade quickly looked him over. Not seeing any damage she whispered to him to wait outside and to tell Naruto and Sasuke to not come into the room until she bid them to. Nodding, the ashen boy wordlessly left the room.

After the boy had left, Sakura placed her hand on Kakashi's shoulder and felt him immediately relax. His arm encircled her waist and he drew her closer to him.

"Kakashi, I need you to wake up now. Everything is okay. We are both safe, nothing will harm us."

He took a few deep breaths and slowly woke. When he finally opened his eyes, he saw Sakura in his arms looking very concerned. Thankful it was just a dream, he drew her in close into a fierce embrace.

"Thank Kami you aren't dead," he said to her as he clutched her to his chest. "I thought that you had died, or worse."

Sakura hugged him back trying to console him. She could feel some of his tears on her neck. Sakura looked back at the hokage, concerned with the man's emotion. The hokage nodded to her apprentice knowing that she would do her best to calm the distraught man and find out what prompted this outburst. Sakura motioned to Tsunade that she would be by later to update her on the situation. Tsunade silently left the room to contend with the men waiting for her outside the room.

After he calmed, Sakura led him back to the bed so she could assess his physical state. Though he was a seasoned warrior, the look of torture on his face shocked her. His hand never left her waist as if to hang on to her physical presence so he wouldn't lose her again. Finding nothing physically wrong except heightened endorphins, she caressed his face to comfort him. Her touch relaxed him but she could feel his tension in his touch.

"Kakashi, I need to know what is going on in your dreams. I know that they are painful but they may hold the key to unraveling this so I can stop them," she said softly to him as she sat next to him on the bed.

Kakashi looked into her eyes with pain. He didn't want to remember the nightmares that he recently endured but he needed them to stop. Reliving every fear he had, every trauma would eventually tear him apart. He came close to losing his sense of reality when he was a teen and he didn't want to go through that pain again. Knowing that he needed to tell her his deepest fears and a part of him that he had only shared with a couple of people, he hoped that he wouldn't frighten her away. She was his last string to sanity and he couldn't afford to lose her. With a deep breath, he took her hand and began to tell her of the terrifying visions that were assaulting him hoping that she would find the answer to releasing him from their terrifying hold.


	5. Chapter 5

_Here it is! Sorry it's taken so long. Life kept getting in the way, has been very busy here at home and at work! ~ Disclaimer – I do not own Naruto or any characters of said story._

_Mature themes in this chapter!_

**Chapter 5**

The window of the cottage overlooked a garden created a peaceful scene to look out at. Kakashi smiled wryly at the thought of the person who planned the building purposely constructing the garden for that sole purpose of calming the inhabitants of the cottage down so they wouldn't be easily riled. He sank deeper into the chair by the window contemplating his current situation. After his little run in with the medic, Sakura thought it would be prudent to move him to more serene and secluded area to help get a handle of the nightmares. Even though she tried to assure him that she and the hokage were only concerned about his safety and well being, in his head he suspected it was more for the safety of others, not that he could blame either one of them. He was a trained assassin. His body would react even if he was unconscious. Running his hand through his tousled hair, he hoped that he would never hurt Sakura in any way, especially when he wasn't conscious. It was one of his greatest fears, suddenly waking and the woman he loved in his arms severely hurt or worse, all done by his own hands. Sakura assured him that she knew that he would never hurt her, but he had his doubts especially with the dreams that he was still having. Every night, he would avoid sleeping as long as he could so he could not relive his painful past.

With Sakura by his side, there was a glimmer of hope that he would recover eventually. He had no doubt in his mind that he would have ended it all if she was not with him. Living through the pain the first time had taken all he had to survive. Masao and the monks had barely pulled him back from the brink. Reliving the pains of the past over and over again was pure agony. Who ever made this poison was a master of torture, in Kakashi's mind, because it was like living through torment every night. From what the hokage had told him, he was only experiencing minor effects from the toxin. Kakashi shuddered as he thought of someone going through this full force. No wonder the victims that survived the first two phases went crazy when they reached the third. Shaking his mind from his morose thoughts, he tried to focus on his daily meditations while he waited for Sakura to come back from her meeting with the hokage.

* * *

Sakura was satisfied with the results of the inoculation she had developed to prevent anyone else from suffering the effects of this new poison. It had taken a couple of weeks to develop it but was well worth the time and lack of sleep she went without to produce it. No one else in Konoha would have to suffer from the ill effects, like Kakashi was. Now, all she needed to do is cure Kakashi from its horrific effects.

The wait and see approach wasn't working as well as she and the hokage had hoped. Even though his nightmares had lessened to a degree, Kakashi was still suffering every night. One conciliation was that the terror he suffered from at night hadn't progressed into his waking hours. That gave her hope that he would not progress to full psychosis. If she didn't figure out how to treat him soon, his mental status may not fare as well. She could see the strain in his eyes every time she looked at him, even though he tried to hide it from her. It had to be devastating to see his loved ones die over and over again. The only bright spot in all of this was Kakashi opening up to her. She had learned more about him in the last few weeks than for the whole time she had known him. They had grown closer through this adversity. He had shared his fear of unconsciously harming her and how he thought he was cursed because everyone he had ever loved had died. Now it made sense to her why he kept people at arm's length, not letting people in close to him. She hoped that after this ordeal was over, that he would let in more people into his life so he wouldn't fell like he was so alone.

Walking towards the cottage, Sakura acknowledged the three ANBU guards on the perimeter of the small house. Kakashi had been initially disturbed by their presence even though she had tried to convince him that they weren't there to make sure he didn't lose it. Tsunade was concerned about his safety since he was incapacitated right now. She feared that one of his enemies may take advantage of the situation and try to harm him. Being in the Bingo Book for so long made him an easy target. The hokage was also concerned that someone from the Sound Village may want to see the fruits of their labors. There was no way that she would give Kabuto the satisfaction of knowing how his poison was working or the opportunity to improve upon it. The safety of the village was at stake. Konoha had the advantage right now due to Sakura's inoculation. It was better that Kabuto thought that his toxin had failed due to their superior medical techniques. Once Kabuto found out who countered his poison, there was no doubt in her mind that she would also become a target. Sakura sighed, it was a hazard of the profession she had chosen, but she wouldn't change anything in her life for the world.

"Kakashi, I'm back," she said in a cheery voice as she closed the door. She placed the lunch she had picked up for them on the counter in the small kitchen.

Sakura's voice had roused him from his morose thoughts. He quickly moved from the back room to the kitchen where Sakura was waiting for him. She smiled as he walked toward her. Sakura told him that after lunch they would go out to the open area and do a little training. Kakashi was going stir crazy being inside for so long. She hoped that some light training would bolster his spirits and take his mind off of his current condition.

After they finished their lunch, they walked out to the training grounds out behind the cottage. Kakashi grumbled under his breath about being baby sat and being treated like a prisoner as he sensed the presence of the three ANBU guards on the perimeter of the grounds. Sakura chuckled to herself noting that his senses had not been adversely affected by his current condition. Once they were in the middle of the field, both did some mild calisthenics and stretched out.

Kakashi's blood warmed to the task at hand and started to feel better. All the irritation of the day melted away as he ran with Sakura at his side. After their 5th lap, she suggested that they lightly spar, not using their chakra. With a grin plastered to his face as he agreed to her request. It was good to get back to the thing he loved the best, even if it was only training. He hoped that he would go back to being a shinobi soon. Kakashi loved what he did for a living even with the unpleasant parts. He couldn't think of anything he would want to do more. Losing that part of himself temporarily only made him realize how important it really was to him. Being able to share that part of himself with Sakura only made it more special.

After awhile, their battle became more heated. Sakura was on guard just in case he had a flashback due to the toxin. Both the hokage and she had decided, after lengthy discussion, to push him a little to see what would happen. Sparring simulated battle and both women were interested to know what would happen with his guard down. With Sakura besides him and the ANBU nearby, the hokage felt that it was in a controlled enough environment just in case the inevitable happened. To Sakura's pleasant surprise, she was seeing the Kakashi of old in front of her. His movements were always graceful and had mesmerized her. As their mock battle progressed, his speed gradually picked up. Sakura was happy that she had kept up on her training because if she hadn't, she would be sorely pressed right now.

* * *

Genma watched from the distance as Kakashi and Sakura sparred. He was the captain of the current team guarding his friend as he recovered. When Sakura had told him of her plan for the day, he was concerned that it might set his comrade back if he had a mental break. Watching the couple, he couldn't help but smile as he watched his old friend come back to life. He knew that Kakashi could sense him nearby and chuckled every time the silver hair shinobi grumbled about being babysat. Genma knew Kakashi was teasing him partly because the man always made sure that he could hear what he said. The longer the couple sparred, the speed that Kakashi moved increased. Though Kakashi was all business when it came to training, Genma couldn't help but notice the smile on his pal's face. The many weeks of being confined had taken a toll on the man that was used to healing quickly and getting back to work. If anyone but Sakura was out there, Genma was sure that Kakashi would have won by now. Their play took a new course and Genma smirked as he watched Kakashi tease Sakura by his movements. Knowing their feelings towards each other, Genma had no doubt how this evening was going to progress. Happy to see his friend's actions becoming more normal, he decided to move his team back to the far perimeter to give the couple some privacy so nature could take its course. His two underlings appeared before him and he gave them his instructions of patrolling the far reaches of the property. Leaving his summons behind, just in case something happened, the senbon user took off after his team.

* * *

Both Sakura and Kakashi felt the ANBU team retreat to the distance as they continued to fight. The smirk on Kakashi's face widened knowing what Genma was doing. Since they started, Kakashi could feel the sexual tension between them heighten, but didn't pursue due the audience they had. It was a kind of foreplay for him, watching the woman before him gracefully attack him. Long dormant urges washed over him as he taunted the pink haired woman. Silently he thanked his long time friend for giving them some space so they could be more intimate. Always the gentleman, it was becoming increasingly difficult for him to ignore the urges of his body with Sakura always close at hand. Feeling better physically and mentally, Kakashi decided to test the waters of their relationship to see where they would land.

Sakura could feel the sparks between them rise as they sparred. Delighted with the results of the day, she let her guard down to enjoy her time with the man before her. As the ANBU team left the area, she inwardly smiled that she could tease Kakashi now with her movements. Genma always was the master of the way men and women reacted to each other sexually. Normally it irritated her to no end, but today she was grateful that he was the man in charge of the ANBU team. She hoped that their luck would hold with Kakashi not having an attack and that she could have some of her growing personal needs met tonight.

Watching for an opening, she noticed that Kakashi was distracted for a moment. Taking advantage of her chance, she swept his feet and pinned the shocked man to the ground. Straddling his waist, she smiled seductively as she loomed overhead. The look of shock soon turned to the smoldering look that excited her to no end.

"I win!" she said seductively staring into his dark eye.

"So you have," he said seductively as he watched her overhead. "I guess I need to reward you then."

Her grip loosened on his arms as she began to melt under his gaze. Quickly he flipped her onto her back, spanning her small waist. His hand caressed the side of her face and he held her eyes in his. Slowly, he closed the gap between them and kissed her passionately. Fire raged through Sakura's veins as he kissed her. Her arms wound around his neck drawing him in closer to her. She absentmindedly ran her fingers through his soft spiky hair as he kissed her thoroughly. As they pulled away from each other, they both felt the heat that was building.

"Hmmmm…" he said in a low voice, "I think we should move this to a more private area just in case our security guards come back. I don't want to have to fight with anyone for not sharing you and your luscious body."

Sakura slowly nodded as she saw the smirk on his handsome face that always liquefied her heart. In all of her life, no one affected her the way that Kakashi did. With both of their hearts racing, he embraced her and teleported them back to the cottage bedroom where they could continue on their lusty bent.

* * *

Kakashi gazed into her jade eyes trying to judge if they were moving too fast. His question was answered when she pulled his head towards hers so she could capture his lips. Sakura crushed her lips onto his to let him know her need. Kakashi deepened their kiss as his hands moved south to unzip her top. With a quick flick of his hand, her shirt opened exposing her bindings. He caressed her ample breasts eliciting a muffled moan from her. Coming up for air, Kakashi offered her his hand so they could stand so she could be released from her bindings.

As soon as she stood, he deftly undid the wraps never letting his lips leave hers. Once she was free, his lips moved down her neck with searing kisses leaving her gasping for air. Sakura had never felt like this before. With a mere kiss, he excited her to no end. She had heard rumors of his prowess in the bedroom, but being able to experience it first hand was indescribable. Her blood felt like molten lava running through her veins. She was glad that he held her up because she knew that if he didn't her legs would have collapsed below her. Soon she felt his lips leave her skin, and she looked up into his mismatched eyes panting with desire. As she looked down, she noticed that both of them were undressed. Sakura was in awe of his abilities and wondered why she didn't feel her clothes being stripped from her. Truly he was adept at what he did.

The intense look on his face said it all. The raw hunger consumed her. Never had she felt this type of yearning. Without taking his eyes off of her, he swept her into his arms and gently lay her down upon the bed.

"Are you okay with this, Sakura," he asked, "If we are moving too fast, we can stop. I will respect whatever your wishes are."

Sakura looked at him as if he lost his mind. For her, there was no turning back. She was on fire and that fire needed to be quenched. With a smile, her hand went to his cheek, "Please don't stop Kakashi. I want this more than anything."

Hearing her consent, his lips continued their fiery descent until they reached the peak of her breast. Sakura gasped as he caressed her hardened nub with his tongue. His mouth released her breast with a pop and he found her lips again. His hand brushed away some strands of hair that had fallen on to her face. With a fervent look, his eyes swept her body.

"So beautiful, Sakura, so beautiful," he said huskily as the back of his hand stroked her cheek.

Kakashi kissed her once again, then turned his attention to her neglected breast. She felt his hand move to her inner thigh where he stroked her until it came to rest on her mound. As his fingers entered her, it was like fireworks going off in her body. Kakashi masterfully brought her to orgasm quickly, leaving her panting for more.

Rising above her, he deftly positioned himself to enter her welcoming body. With one quick movement he slid into her warm sheath. Both gasped at the pleasure that they felt as their bodies melded together. Soon they moved at a frenzied pace trying to satisfy their building need. Sakura's moans of pleasure urged him on to his goal of mutual pleasure. The couple reached their goal as one gasping each other's name. The two collapsed into each other's arms reveling in the afterglow of their love.

Kissing the top of her head, he mused on the happiness he felt holding this woman in his arms after their heated play. Never had he felt this way about a woman, let alone another human being. It felt right with her in his arms. He held her closer not wanting the feeling to never end.

* * *

Sakura was more than content lying in his arms. The feelings that this man elicited from her were so intense, more intense than anyone she had ever known. Even Sasuke couldn't make her feel this way. It had been a bitter disappointment when she finally had been intimate with the Uchiha heir after all of her waiting and longing. Soon after he returned back to the village, the two of them fell into each other's arms, much to her delight. Though the encounter wasn't abysmal, there was something lacking. The two team mates both agreed that they should just be good friends, nothing more due to the lack of chemistry. She could see the look of disappointment in his eyes, but she knew that he did not want to lose her as a friend. Sakura reasoned that both of them had built this image of each other while they were separated and that neither one of them could live up to each other's dream.

Sighing contentedly, Sakura snuggled in close into Kakashi's embrace. Slowly, the stress of the day faded away. Even though it wasn't late, Sakura could feel herself drifting off to sleep. Knowing that if Kakashi moved or left her side she would wake in an instant, the pink haired medic succumbed to slumber.

* * *

Kakashi watched her drift off as he held her, stroking her silky hair. He hoped that he would not be plagued by his demons tonight. The nightmares would mar the ending of a very satisfying day. Although he fought off dozing, soon his body relaxed and he fell under Morpheus' spell. It wasn't long before the visions played before him in his mind. At least they were pleasant, at least for now.


	6. Chapter 6

_Disclaimer – I do not own Naruto or any characters of said story._

**Chapter 6**

For once, Kakashi's dreams were pleasant. It had been weeks since he wasn't roused by nightmares of his past. As he slept, his dreams were of the woman that currently shared his bed and roused his passion. They were pleasing, dreams of sharing their love, dreams of just being together. Unconsciously, he pulled her closer to himself, his tether to normalcy, his shield against the demons in his head. Soon the images faded away as he slipped into deeper sleep. All that remained was the sense of peace he felt. It had been a long time since he slept so well. His body craved the much needed rest. A content sigh left his lips as he slept on.

* * *

Genma and his team waited anxiously for the two other teams to arrive to take over their guard. The hokage thought it prudent to have two teams guard at night figuring that if any mischief were to happen, it would be under the cover of darkness. Genma's team fidgeted anxiously as they awaited the two teams to appear. Even though they had an important job to do, it was extremely boring for the highly skilled team. With his mask on, Genma couldn't chew on his signature senbon, much to his irritation. As his mind drifted, he could sense the replacement teams moving quickly through the forest towards their location.

All three teams met at the edge of the forest that surrounded the cottage. The two leaders of the replacement teams greeted Genma then gave their instructions to their teams to sweep the area to make sure that there were no chakra signatures nearby, with the instructions of giving a wide berth around the cottage. Genma's team joined the two other teams as they all took off into the forest. The team leaders all sat down on a nearby stump so Genma could brief them. Sensing that the teams were out of earshot, Genma faced his peers to begin.

Toad and Raven's masks stared blankly waiting for the senbon user to tell them what happened during their shift. For the past few weeks, they have been part of the team protecting Kakashi and helping Sakura in any way they could. Kakashi's dreams were intense, and in the beginning, they needed to be close at hand to help her, if need be. It pained both men to see their mentor tortured nightly and watch their team mate stand helplessly at his side while the nightmares ran their course. Both were apprehensive when they were pulled away from guard duty to perform needed missions. Each one of them wondered if all was well when they were far from home. Needless to say, the two men quickly completed their assigned tasks so they could get home to assist Sakura and Kakashi in any way they could.

Genma started his report and suggested to Sasuke and Naruto to give the couple some privacy tonight. The two shinobi looked at each other in surprise of the turn of events. Sasuke activated his sharingan and could see that the two were resting intimately together. A smile played on his lips, pleased that his friend and team mate had found some happiness finally. Naruto looked up at his companion and could see all was well with the two other members of their original team. Both men hoped that Kakashi's injuries would pass so the two could both move on with their lives, just as they had.

Genma recalled his summons that was watching nearby. Both Naruto and Sasuke called up their own to watch over the couple from a distance so they could be alerted if something was amiss.

* * *

Slowly Kakashi was aware of the forest slowly coming into view as his dream started. He could see three teams of ANBU patrolling an area of the forest nearby. The group stopped, acknowledging each other as two of the members took off towards the village once Genma had joined them. Naruto and Sasuke joined the groups and gave their instructions to each of their teams. Silently nodding that they understood their instructions, the two teams took off in opposite directions.

Kakashi's dream followed Naruto's group as they made their way noiselessly through the forest, making sure that there wasn't any chakra signatures in the area. As he watched the group, he was proud of the way that Naruto had matured. The unpredictable shinobi had learned how to be an effective leader and nurtured his subordinates in a way that they couldn't help but improve on their skills. The Uchiha heir had become better skilled at nurturing his underlings with the help of his best friend, although he wasn't as proficient as Naruto. It was satisfying to watch the once rivals complement each other as they made their way through the upper ranks of the elite. Both of their teams were highly respected and the most skilled in the village. To be part of either's team was an honor. Finally, the two men understood Kakashi's lessons on team work and Kakashi couldn't help but feel proud as they developed into the elite shinobi that they were born to be.

Suddenly, he saw Naruto stop his team abruptly. Motioning to his team, they took up a defensive position around an unidentified chakra signature lurking within the trees. As the group closed in on the intruder, it became clear that they had intercepted a possible assassin. Naruto quickly released the scroll which held one of Sasuke's ravens to summon his partner as back up. With his team in position, Naruto gave the signal to apprehend the interloper.

Kakashi watched from a vantage point above the team, in his dream, as they fought with the now discovered shinobi. The intruder was highly skilled and the team was hard pressed trying to subdue him. Naruto wanted him alive so the shinobi could be interrogated to see what his devious mission was and who had sent him. Naruto's team held the trespasser at bay until Sasuke swooped in with his sharingan glaring, thus stopping the assassin cold in his tracks.

The two captains gave each other their signature high five and went to assess the damage done to Naruto's team. Before they could tie up the prisoner, the intruder's arm quickly came up, with knife in hand, and slashed one of Naruto's team member's abdomen, opening a large wound on the man. Surprised by the shinobi's movement, Sasuke descended on the prisoner menacingly knocking him unconscious as his wires incapacitated him.

* * *

Kakashi woke with a start, knowing that that type of wound would be serious and needed attending right away. Breathing heavily, he knew if what he saw actually happened, the wounded man wouldn't make it back to the village alive. Debating if he should rouse Sakura or not, he noticed that the pink haired medic besides him was looking up at him questioning why he had woke so abruptly.

"Kakashi, is everything okay?" she asked sleepily, concerned that he had just experienced another nightmare.

Kakashi looked down at her trying to form the words to tell her what he had just experienced and trying to judge if he was losing his mind or not. Finally he decided that he needed to tell her what happened no matter what the outcome was. While he explained to her what he saw in his dream, she sat up and listened intently. As he finished his tale, before she could comment, there was an urgent knock at the door. Sakura grabbed her robe and Kakashi quickly dressed so they could answer the summons.

* * *

As they opened the door, they were greeted by a distressed ANBU requesting Sakura's immediate assistance. Kakashi recognized the mask and knew that the ANBU standing before him was Nari, one of the newer members of Sasuke's team. The young woman quickly told them the story about how Naruto's team attacked the intruder and how Washi had been cut by the interloper. Sakura and Kakashi stopped abruptly and just stared at each other, shocked by what they were just told. Right now was not the time to discuss what just happened, it would have to wait until Sakura healed Washi and made sure he was out of harm's way.

Shortly after, Naruto and Sasuke approached carrying the injured young man. She could see that Naruto had placed a pressure bandage over the wound, just as she had instructed him to do if there was an injury in the field. Sakura quickly directed them to the open area in the living room so she could start healing him. She turned to Nari and asked her to get some warm water and towels from the other room so she could clean him up after she was done healing Washi. The woman nodded and rushed to the other room dragging one of her team mates to help. Turning to the rest of the group, Sakura ordered all of them out of the room so she wouldn't be interrupted. Naruto, Sasuke, Kakashi, and the other 3 team members turned and made their way into the kitchen area.

* * *

The 3 younger shinobi were shaken by the events of this evening. They were not as seasoned as the veterans in their midst. Naruto and Sasuke ordered them to patrol the immediate area to make sure the intruder didn't have any friends nearby. Once they had left, Kakashi turned to his former students and inquired where they had placed the detainee. The two men told him that they had stashed him in a nearby shed awaiting pick up by a nearby ANBU recovery team. Unnerved by what he had just experienced, Kakashi questioned the two men on why they didn't secure the prisoner before anyone stepped anywhere near him.

Sasuke and Naruto stared at the silver haired shinobi trying to figure out how he knew about what happened out in the field. Nari didn't see how Washi was injured and had been sent for help before they could discuss the matter, so they knew that she didn't know details about what had taken place.

"Ummm…Kakashi," Naruto finally said, "How did you know about that."

Kakashi realized in his irritation that he had given out too much information about his knowledge about what had transpired. Always the professional, he maintained his composure and he raced to find an explanation that would the two men in front of him would believe.

"I figured it out by the type of injury," he snapped, "I'm still waiting for your answer."

Accepting Kakashi's excuse, Naruto began explaining what had happened to his former sensei. Sasuke just stared at him. He wasn't buying his flimsy excuse, but for the life of him couldn't figure out what was going on. He could tell that Kakashi was unnerved by the situation and he knew it wasn't just because Washi was hurt.

Before Sasuke could question Kakashi, Sakura walked into the room. Anxious, Naruto stood up waiting for her to update him on Washi's injuries. Sakura assured her friend that the young man was out of harm's way but needed to be taken to the hospital right away due to the amount of blood he had loss. She could only do so much out here since her supplies were limited.

Naruto quickly produced four shadow clones to help with the task at hand. Turning to Sasuke, he told his long time friend that he would leave one of the clones here to continue with guard duty while he and the rest of the clones took Washi to the hospital. Nodding, Sasuke escorted the clone towards the rest of the group so they could secure the perimeter. He looked back at Sakura to confirm all was well with the two of them before he left. Sakura's smile assured him that she had matters well in hand and that she didn't need his assistance. As the Uchiha heir left, he mentally noted to check in later to see what was going on and to ask how Kakashi knew about the details of the evening.

* * *

After they had all left, Sakura turned and watched Kakashi as he stared blankly out the window into the darkness. She was sure that tonight's events had shaken him. Hell, tonight's events had completely floored her. Was this another side effect of the poison? Would Kakashi be left with the gift or curse of premonition? This was way out of her comfort zone, but she needed to help her lover any way she could through all of this. Sensing his apprehension, she quietly slid behind him and wrapped her arms around him to comfort him.

Feeling her warm arms wrap around him, he leaned into her embrace gently stroking her arms. His mind raced through everything that had happened tonight. He wondered how this new ability would affect him or if it was only a temporary thing. How would this impact his ability to be a shinobi? Would he ever heal from this horrific poison or be scarred for the rest of his life?

As he let out a sigh, Sakura pulled him closer into her embrace. He knew that she would stand by him no matter what came about in the end. Strangely, this comforted him and gave him the strength that he needed to move forward. He just hoped that it would be enough to pull them through and find the happiness that they deserved.


	7. Chapter 7

___Disclaimer – I do not own Naruto or any characters of said story._

**Chapter 7**

The dreams with premonitions took over for the nightmares that had plagued Kakashi for so many months. Some of the premonition dreams were the same as the nightmares in his book. Kakashi couldn't decide which was worse. It made him uncomfortable being able to see into people's private lives and it was difficult for him to watch his fellow shinobi in harm's way. The only good thing was that he didn't have these dreams every night. As the weeks moved on, there was only one dream that really terrified him, the dream with Sakura in it. In the dream, Sakura was abducted by Sound Nin, was taken to Kabuto, where he tortured her, and Kakashi could do nothing to prevent it or save her. Following afterwards, he would always see a series of underground caves which were like a maze. The feeling he would get was a sense of urgency and the frustration of not being able to find what he was looking for. When he woke, he could still feel the frustration but could never remember what he was looking for.

Since the dream started, Kakashi was on heightened alert to protect Sakura when he was awake, but the threat never was there. As for the second dream, he could never figure out what it was trying to tell him or what he should be searching for. He was relieved that at least one of the premonitions he had seen hadn't come to fruition because of the importance of her in his life. It pushed him to regain his strength and skill so he could prevent the situation if it ever presented itself.

* * *

Sakura was pleased with Kakashi's physical progress, but still had concerns about his mental state. She knew it bothered him to have the premonitions, but at least they were not all as damaging as the nightmares had been. Naruto and Sasuke had been disturbed by her revelation of the premonitions that Kakashi was experiencing and had put some distance between their old sensei and themselves because they didn't know how to react or deal with the situation. In the past couple of weeks they seemed to loosen up a little around Kakashi due to Sakura reassuring them that all of this was out of his control and that he was the same sensei that they both knew. Of course Sasuke was the most resistant. The Uchiha heir was never comfortable with the realm of the unknown.

Tsunade had been interested in every detail once Sakura had made her aware of the situation. She found it ironic that Kakashi had to deal with his past with the nightmares he had previously and now had to deal with the future due to the toxin's affects. The hokage had consulted a few people that she trusted on the subject and had suggested that Kakashi start journaling his dreams. For a man that had problems completing his reports, it had been like torture to have him comply with the hokage's request. After some coercion and some creativity on Sakura's part, Kakashi finally complied with the blond sannin's request. Some of his premonitions had saved shinobi out in the field. Only a select few knew where the information was coming from but the shinobi that had been spared thanked their unknown benefactor for saving them.

* * *

Kakashi and Sakura fell into a comfortable pattern of training by day and spending quality time with each other by night. After he had regained his strength, the couple moved out of the cottage, into Sakura's apartment since there was more room for them there. It seemed natural for them to be together. Their friends were shocked when they first noticed the couple's closeness, but became accepting of the relationship when they saw how devoted they were to each other. The couple complemented each other and brought out the best in each of them. Sakura found a calm that she hadn't known and her temper didn't seem to flare as much as it used to. Kakashi had become more social and laughed more often. It was sides of them that their friends hadn't seen or hadn't seen often. Even though they were all happy for them, their friends hoped that their luck would hold and nothing would destroy the bliss that they finally found together.

* * *

Though he was doing much better, Kakashi was still having a hard time dealing with the premonitions. The unknown was never a thing that Kakashi dealt well with. A couple months had gone by and the premonitions had not slowed. Kakashi felt that he needed to learn how to deal with what was going on in his head before he started back taking missions again. Not knowing if this was a permanent annoyance that he would need to deal with, Kakashi discussed the matter with the hokage hoping that she could give him some advice on how he should proceed. Tsunade suggested that he take some time to visit his friend Masao at the monastery in the hopes that the abbot could help him find some peace with his plight. Knowing that his old friend would help him, Kakashi requested a short leave to go back to the monastery.

Walking back to the apartment, Kakashi's thoughts instantly went to Sakura. He was still having the same recurrent dream of her being abducted and the dream about the cave. Usually his premonitions would come to pass within a couple of days, at the most a week. This had been going on for a few months now. Kakashi chalked it up to his current feelings towards Sakura and his insecurities. He had never let anyone into his life this closely before. As for the cave dream, he believed that it was the frustration over his current situation that manifested in walking blindly through an underground maze. He rationalized that if something was supposed to happen, it would have by now. Just in case, he would leave a few of his ninken to watch over her as well as asking Naruto and Sasuke to look in on her from time to time. Kakashi rushed off to do his errands in order to be waiting for Sakura when she arrived home after work.

* * *

It had been a long day for Sakura at the hospital. It seemed that most of Konoha was sick or injuring themselves today. She never liked clinic time due to this reason. After she had finished with her last patient, Moegi told her that the hokage wanted to see her before she left for home. Mumbling under her breath, she trudged her way to her mentor's office hoping that their meeting would be brief. Nothing had prepared her for what Tsunade told her about Kakashi taking a brief leave to go to the monastery, but now that she had some time to think about the situation on her walk home, it made sense for him to go. Masao had helped him find peace before when Kakashi's life was in turmoil. Knowing what she did about the abbot she was sure that his friend could help him find peace again. Even though she would miss him terribly, she knew this was the best thing for Kakashi to do to finally heal. It was important for him to find peace so he could move on with life.

Slowly, she trudged up the stairs to their apartment. The long day took its toll as she made her way to the door. As she opened the door, her sense of smell was greeted with the aroma of dinner waiting for her on the table. The table was adorned with a bouquet of colorful flowers and lit candles. A smile graced her lips as she looked at all her lover had done to make the evening special. She could hear him humming in the kitchen as she gently shut the door. He had gone out of the way to soften the blow that they would be apart for a length of time. She stealthily made her way to the kitchen to find him carefully doling out the contents of the take out containers on to two plates.

"Hello, Sakura," he said with a grin on his face without breaking his stride in what he was doing. He had sensed her chakra when she reached the staircase.

Sakura smiled knowing that he probably sensed her way before she even came through the door. Putting her things down on the chair, she came up behind him and wrapped her arms around his back, molding her body to his. She took in his calming scent, a mix of sandalwood and spice. Hugging him tightly, she enjoyed their closeness as he finished his task.

As soon as he was done, he quickly spun her around and ensnared her lips in a fiery kiss. Sakura melted into his arms as their kiss deepened. Kakashi left her breathless as they broke apart.

"Welcome home," he murmured huskily, "Hungry?"

Sakura could see the fire smoldering in his eyes as he looked at her. He was the only man she knew that could take her breath away by just a look and she loved it when he did. It made her feel complete.

Nodding, the couple made their way to the table where Kakashi served dinner. Their conversation centered on light things like how Sakura's day went and Kakashi's conversation with Naruto and Sasuke about their teams, never touching on his impending departure. Once dinner was done, they cleared and cleaned the dishes, then went to the living room to sit before the fireplace.

Sakura snuggled in close into Kakashi's arms. The couple stared at the fire dancing in front of them, quiet, enjoying the moment together. Sakura could feel Kakashi's heart rate quicken as they sat together. His demeanor was cool and composed, as always, but she knew that he was trying to find the words to tell her about his trip to the monastery. She would leave it to him to tell her about his journey giving him the time he needed to do so.

* * *

Kakashi's mind raced as he sought the words to tell Sakura about going to visit Masao to help him with the lingering issues that plagued him. Even though he knew that she would never complain, he didn't want to see the sadness in her eyes when he told her that it would be at least a month of separation. It would be hard for both of them given the closeness they have shared over the past few months. Both of them had come to depend on each other for the comfort that they needed. Kakashi rationalized that this was a good test for when he resumed his duties and started going on missions again. Even though his mind sought to rationalize the impending separation, his heart was heavy knowing it would be awhile before he would be able to feel her in his embrace, just like they were sharing now. Taking a deep breath, he knew stalling was only postponing the inevitable.

"Sakura, I need to tell you something," he started.

Sakura looked up into his eyes, and smiled at him. She had time to deal with the disappointment of him leaving on her way home, and wanted to make this easier on him knowing that he felt the same as her – she would miss him terribly. Knowing that he was torn, she decided to hide her feelings until he left so he couldn't see how much it bothered her. The main thing was that he get the help and peace that he needed so desperately so he could finally move on.

Having her attention, he told her about what he and Tsunade spoke about, and his trip back to the monestary. Sakura fought back her feelings as she looked at him as he nervously told her about his plans. She could tell that he was obviously torn and that he would miss the closeness that they now shared. After he had finished, she composed her thoughts before she responded.

"Kakashi, I understand," she started as she took his hands in hers, turning so she was looking directly into his eyes. "I will miss you terribly, but we both know that you need to do this to find peace. Don't worry about me. I have the two idiots to keep me company. You just focus on getting the help you need and get better so you can come back to me as soon as you can."

He knew that this was difficult for her too, but her smile reassured him that she was okay with him leaving. That was one of the things that he loved about her, her reassuring smile. As long as she was smiling, all was well in his world.

The lovers embraced, savoring their last night together. Kakashi swept her up into his arms, carrying her to their bed. There was a hint of sadness as they shared the night together. As Sakura slept in his arms after their love play, he couldn't shake the sense of foreboding that he felt. His thoughts immediately went to his reoccurring nightmare. Sighing, he told himself that all will be well and that it was all due to him leaving her for an extended time. He gently kissed her forehead and held her close as he drifted off to sleep. As he sank deeper into sleep, for once the nightmare didn't start. The only thing he felt was the sense of his destiny, a destiny that would be finding him soon.


	8. Chapter 8

_Disclaimer – I do not own Naruto or any characters of said story._

**Chapter 8**

The morning was brisk as the team moved quickly through the forest. The hokage insisted that Kakashi be joined by Sakura, Naruto, Sasuke, and their teams escorting him to the monastery. She wanted to ensure that Kakashi made it there in one piece with minimal problems. Privately, she had told Sakura that she wanted her to join the group to ensure Kakashi's mental health, as well as updating the abbot about his mental state. Tsunade wanted to do anything to speed up Kakashi's recovery so he could resume his post.

Sakura was more than happy to go with to see her lover off and to visit with Masao again. Even though she wouldn't admit it to anyone, she was concerned about his well being. She hoped with his visit to the monastery would make him whole again so they could move forward. Seeing him in such a vulnerable state was disconcerting to her. Kakashi was always the strong one, the one she could always lean on no matter what. Sakura was glad to see the other side of the man, but knew he wasn't comfortable in what his life had become in the past few months. All she wished for is for him to be whole and happy with life again.

* * *

As they neared the monastery, they were greeted by some of the monks that were awaiting their arrival. Tsunade had sent a note via hawk to let the abbot know of their impending visit. The group was escorted to the abbot's waiting room where Masao greeted them with open arms.

"Kakashi, my friend," he smiled, "You look much improved from the last time we were together."

The two friends laughed as they greeted each other.

"Sakura, so good to see you again. I see that you have taken good care of my friend here," Masao said as he embraced her.

Turning to the other two members of the old Team 7, "You must be Naruto and Sasuke," he greeted the two men. "Kakashi has told me a lot about you both."

Both men turned and gave their ex-sensei a heated look both wondering what Kakashi had shared with the abbot.

"No need to worry," Kakashi chuckled, "I didn't share all your dark secrets with him."

Naruto and Sakura snickered as the Uchiha gave Kakashi a glare.

"I have some refreshments for your teams in the main hall, if you like," Masao told Naruto and Sasuke.

"Thanks," Sasuke politely responded, "If you could excuse Naruto and I, we will see to their welfare."

Sasuke pulled Naruto out of the room with him to give the three of them some privacy to speak. The group chuckled as the two men left the room.

"Sorry, they aren't too subtle sometimes," Sakura laughed.

"No need to apologize," Masao assured her. "It's obvious that they are concerned about their teams and want to give us some time to speak. They have matured nicely, Kakashi."

Kakashi nodded, as one of the monks brought in some tea and small sandwiches for them. The three of them caught up on things while they enjoyed their repast. A monk appeared in the doorway, and Masao nodded to him.

"Kakashi, your room has been readied for you, if you would like to put your gear there. I'll make sure that Sakura is kept comfortable while you do that," the abbot smiled.

Kakashi nodded and headed out with the awaiting monk. He figured that Sakura had a message to relay from Tsunade, so he would give them some time to talk. As soon as Kakashi was out of earshot, Masao turned his full attention to Sakura.

"As you can probably see, he isn't completely himself yet," Sakura began, "How much did the hokage divulge to you?"

"From what she sent over, I know that he is having premonitions now and isn't doing well with dealing with them. I also see that you two have become closer," he smiled at her.

Sakura blushed. "It's that obvious?"

Masao laughed, "It was obvious when you were here the first time, well at least to me it was. I take it the fool finally realized what a prize you were and how he felt about you?"

"Yes, we have become quite close throughout this ordeal. I've come to know the man, instead of the teacher that I knew before," she said quietly. "All I want now is for him to become whole again. I can't stand to see the pain in his eyes." After a long pause, "Masao, I love him." A lone tear rolled down her cheek as she stared at the floor.

Masao moved closer to Sakura and took her hands into his to comfort her. "Sakura, everything will be okay, I promise. He's been through worse and has come through it. I know that he will be able to find peace here at the monastery."

Sakura looked up into the face of the abbot knowing that if anyone could help Kakashi, it would be him. With a sad smile, she nodded her agreement. Masao smiled and patted her hand. "And if he doesn't, I'll make sure that we beat some sense into that thick skull of his," he chuckled.

"Hey!" Kakashi said as he walked back into the room. "I'm not some snot-nosed kid that you can push around anymore. I'd like to see you try."

Masao laughed as Kakashi showed his irritation, obviously knowing that he sensed Kakashi's presence before he entered the room. It was Masao's way of telling him that he was wise to what Kakashi was doing. It was his gentle and subtle way to let Kakashi know that he was caught.

"If you would both excuse me, I need to check on some things and make sure Naruto and Sasuke's teams have been adequately taken care of," Masao said as he rose. "Kakashi, why don't you show Sakura the gardens. She didn't get a chance to see it when she was here last." The abbot left chuckling as he left the couple with some much needed time to say their goodbyes.

'He's about as subtle as a kunai to the forehead,' Kakashi mumbled.

"Did you say something, Kakashi?" Sakura asked looking up into his mismatched eyes.

"Nothing important," he smiled as he reached for her hand as his annoyance lifted. She graciously accepted as he escorted her to the gardens within the back courtyard of the monastery. They walked silently through the flower filled garden hand in hand, just enjoying each other's presence. It seemed like a heavy weight bore down upon them, knowing that they would be soon separated for an extended time.

* * *

Kakashi led her to a bench near a small pond on the far end of the garden, where they both sat to enjoy their surroundings. He pulled her close into his embrace as they sat quietly on the bench. Sakura buried her head into his jounin shirt as she moved closer to him. He looked down at her as he heard her sniff softly. She resisted his efforts to look at her face as he tried gently to lift her chin. The wetness seeping through his shirt confirmed that she was crying. Kakashi lifted her into his lap and cradled her in his arms.

"I'm sorry," she sniffled, "I should be stronger." The weight of being the strong one and the emotion of his impending absence had finally caught up with her. She hated being the weak one emotionally.

"Shhhh," he reassured her, "Its okay. I promise it won't be too long." He gently wiped the tears from her cheeks with his thumbs and kissed her forehead. She smiled up at him as she rested her head on his shoulder. This was the Kakashi that she had missed these past months, the one that comforted her and made her feel safe. He kissed her eyelids, then her nose, eliciting a soft giggle from her. His mouth found hers as he tenderly kissed her.

"It will go by fast, I promise," he reassured her.

The couple enjoyed the closeness for awhile in silence, taking in each other's presence. Soon it was time for them to get back to the others. Kakashi knew that the group needed to leave in order to make it back to the village before it became too late in the night.

They both stood reluctantly, and made their way back to Masao's office. As they neared, Masao, Naruto, Sasuke, and their teams were waiting in the courtyard.

"Sorry, Sakura," Naruto muttered, "we need to get going. The hokage has another mission for us and was adamant about when we should get back."

Sakura nodded, as her two friends roused their teams to grab their gear and to head for the gates.

"Sakura, it was a pleasure as always," Masao smiled, "Don't worry, we will take good care of him, even if he doesn't like it."

Kakashi glared at his long time friend, knowing he was teasing as always. It was his way to make sure that Sakura knew that Kakashi was in good hands. Sakura giggled as she watched the two men tease each other.

Masao said his goodbye, and walked towards the gate to give the couple a little privacy.

Turning towards each other, the couple kissed and embraced.

"Don't worry, Sakura. I'm in good hands here."

"I know, just get better fast and come back to me soon," she whispered with tears in her eyes.

He tightened his embrace around her. "I left some of the ninken at home to keep you company. Pakuun will be there with a couple of others, so if you need anything, just let them know."

She nodded knowing that he wanted to make sure she had company and that she had a way to contact him if she needed.

They made their way to the gate where both teams waited. The group said their goodbyes to the monks and Masao, thanking them for their hospitality. Sasuke and Naruto just nodded to Kakashi and started to make their way out the gate after their team with Sakura in tow. She turned to wave, then disappeared into the forest.

"Let's get to work," Masao told his friend as he led the way to the inner sanctuary.

* * *

Sakura kept herself busy while Kakashi was gone so she wouldn't miss him as much. Naruto and Sasuke had dinner with her, when they weren't out on missions. They made sure to spend time with her to help her through the loneliness. It was strange not to have Kakashi around since they had spent most of their time together in the last few months. The hardest time was at night. The bed felt so empty and large without his presence.

She had started going out after dinner with the ninken to accompany them on their evening walk. Never having any pets growing up, it was a new experience for her to watch them in their twilight rituals. Almost every night, they would end up doing some light training by running or the testing their skills on tracking her in a game of ninken hide and go seek. The physical training helped her sleep better at night so she wouldn't feel the absence of Kakashi's presence as much. As time went on, the bond she shared with the ninken had strengthened. She hoped when Kakashi returned that he would help her to hone her skills so she could properly summon.

* * *

At first, the progress that Kakashi made was slow. It reminded him of the last time he spent an extended time with the monks, except he wasn't the angry teen any more. Lately, he was making steady progress and learning how to control and use his new abilities to his advantage. Masao was always a good teacher. Kakashi was thankful for his friendship with the abbot, especially now that he needed it the most. He missed Sakura's presence and her bright smile. His longing to be with her served as a driving force to urge him to go on when things were rough for him during Masao's rigorous training. Kakashi still had his reoccurring nightmare about Sakura even though he strove to uncover the meaning behind it. Knowing that his ninken were with her to keep her safe offered some comfort when he awoke from the dream. One thing that he noticed in the past couple days was that the intensity of his emotions were rising when he finally woke. He rationalized that he was on the edge of breakthrough and the intensity was due to that. Even though he had discussed it with Masao, Kakashi did not feel that he had to keep burdening his friend with the rising strength of the dream. He hoped once he made his breakthrough, the dream would finally disappear.

* * *

Sakura had a long day at work, followed by dinner with all of her friends. She looked forward to her nightly walk with the dogs. Pakkun had errands to run, so Shiba said that he would go out for a run with her. It was a little later than they usually went, but it was a nice warm night perfect for training. Sakura and Shiba ran for a bit, then found a tree to sit under to relax. She rubbed the dog's ears as she watched the stars above. Knowing that it was close to midnight, she mentally told herself that they would need to be going home soon, but she just wanted to stay a few minutes longer.

* * *

Kakashi fell asleep early due to the rigorous day he had with Masao. Even though they only trained for a short period of time, the mental strain had drained him. Soon as he drifted asleep, the vision started. This time it was more vivid than any time before. It felt like he was physically there experiencing it firsthand. He watched in horror as the Sound nins hid their chakra and made a perimeter around Sakura. She was sitting under a tree with Shiba next to her, watching the stars, oblivious of the danger that was surrounding her.

* * *

A soft breeze rose and blew against Sakura's face. She noticed that Shiba's ears perked up and was sniffing the wind trying to catch a scent that lingered in the breeze.

"Sakura, we have company," the dog whispered moving in closer to her, "High level shinobi, all masking their chakra. If the wind hadn't blown, I would have never noticed their scent."

Calmly, Sakura prepared herself for battle. Reaching behind her casually, she opened her pack so she would have easy access to her weapons. Outwardly, it looked like she was enjoying the evening.

* * *

Slowly they closed in on her. Kakashi screamed for her to get out, to run, but he was just an observer in the apparition. He counted 8 Sound nin, not counting the leader. As they reached their positions, the leader gave the signal to attack.

* * *

Sakura could feel their presence racing toward them. Quickly she drew her arm back and hit the ground opening a deep crevice which engulfed 4 shinobi. The ground sealed taking their lives from them. Shiba disappeared from view due to his speed and had pinned down one of the enemy.

* * *

Kakashi saw Sakura take out one of the shinobi and had trapped the other two in a genjitsu that made them fight each other. Soon both shinobi seriously wounded each other and were both lying on the ground. He saw Sakura relax as Shiba sauntered back to her side. Neither one had sensed the team leader that was in the tree above their heads.

* * *

Sakura praised Shiba on his quick reflexes and taking the enemy down. She was thankful that the battle was over. Not sensing any other chakra signatures, she let her guard down.

"Let's get going before any other of these guys' friends decide to join us," she told the ninken.

As soon as she stepped away from the tree line, she saw a flash in front of her.

* * *

Kakashi saw the team leader quickly make his way in front of Sakura and Shiba. The dog growled at the intruder. With lightening fast hand signs, the intruder knocked both the dog and Sakura out. His heart sank as they both fell to the ground.

* * *

Sakura felt like she was being carried through the forest as she slowly regained consciousness. It felt like a trance that she couldn't wake from. Gradually she woke and found that she was being carried by an unknown person. As she tried her chakra, she noticed it was suppressed. In a panic, she searched for Shiba's chakra pattern, only to find that the ninken was nowhere to be found.

"So you finally are awake," the enemy chuckled, "No need to struggle, your chakra has been suppressed. You're just wasting time trying to struggle."

The enemy leader quickly made his way through the forest to a small clearing. Sakura could sense that there were more shinobi waiting for them.

* * *

The forest parted and Kakashi could see a group of shinobi waiting for them, all wearing the Sound Village's insignia.

As the enemy stopped, he chuckled. He would be handsomely rewarded for completing his task. Gently, he put down the pink haired medic so she could greet the man who plotted this mission.

"Oh ho, what do we have here," a familiar voice said, "The hokage's apprentice."

* * *

Kakashi watched in horror as the man made his way to the front of the group.

* * *

Sakura strained her eyes to see who had masterminded her abduction.

* * *

"Kabuto!"


	9. Chapter 9

_Disclaimer – I do not own Naruto or any characters of said story._

**Chapter 9**

Kakashi abruptly woke and sat straight up in the bed in a cold sweat. He ran his fingers through his tousled silver hair as his mind replayed the nightmare he just witnessed. Moving to the edge of the bed, he placed his head in his hands as his head throbbed with pain. The urge to flee from the monastery and pursue Kabuto was overwhelming. At the end of the dream, he saw where the lair was located so he felt that he knew exactly where it was. The vision had felt so real, the images were so vivid. Kakashi couldn't shake the feeling of impending doom.

Rising out of the bed he began to pace trying to determine if the vision was real or just his imagination again. In the past few weeks, the nightmare was gaining strength and the impulse to seek out the Sound lair was irresistible. He now knew that the tunnels in his dreams were part of the Sound hideout, at least what he was seeing in the dream. As the vividness increased, the more he felt that he needed to verify what he saw in his unconsciousness was real. Kakashi had no doubt in his mind that if he was still in Kohona, that he would have left to validate the location.

He had many conversations with Masao about the urges that he was feeling and how to quell the voices in his head so he could find some peace. Only during his unconscious state, the voices compelling him to act could get through.

Finally calming himself, he decided to have Pakuun check to see if Sakura was ok. Biting his finger, he summoned the small pug.

"Yo," Pakuun appeared in a cloud of smoke yawning, "What did you need at this time of the night, boss?"

"Please check in on Sakura for me," he bade his ninken.

The dog nodded and disappeared. Kakashi hoped that his fears were unfounded and that he was worrying about nothing. While he waited, he sat down and used the meditation technique that Masao had taught him.

Thirty minutes had gone by when Pakuun re-appeared in Kakashi's room.

"Back," the dog said nervously.

"And?" Kakashi questioned.

"Well, I went to the apartment and didn't find Sakura or Shiba. The other dogs said that she had got in late because of dinner with the other two of your students, but they had been out for awhile. We all scouted the area where we usually train and found Shiba unconscious. Sorry boss, no sign of Sakura anywhere."

"What???" Kakashi roared, "What do you mean she is gone? No scent?"

The small dog cowered knowing that his master was upset. "Her scent disappears, but there is another scent that leaves the area. I sent three of the pack to follow it while Bull went to get help for Shiba. We couldn't rouse him at all."

Kakashi started pulling out his clothes and started dressing. "Good. Update me as soon as you know something about Sakura and keep me updated about Shiba."

The pug nodded again and disappeared. As Kakashi dressed, a feeling of dread washed over him. He hoped that his nightmare didn't come true. All he could do now was wait for his ninken to find the place that Sakura was taken, even though deep down he already knew where she was.

* * *

The buzzing in Sakura's brain was getting louder. All she could see is the darkness that had swallowed her. Slowly the darkness turned to a gray, then a rosy glow, but the buzzing never changed. She was confused about where she was and couldn't get her bearings. Gradually, her memory started coming back to the Sound Ninja that she had took down and the blinding flash. As she opened her eyes, she found herself in a room that she had never seen before with terra cotta colored walls. The walls and ceiling looked like stone. The temperature was cool in the room but the blanket that she wore kept her comfortable.

Confusion ran through her mind as she struggled mentally to remember where she was. As the fog lifted from her memory, she realized that she was in a Sound stronghold. Her hands went to her head as the buzzing in her brain increased.

'What the hell is going on? Why won't this pain go away?' she said to herself. It felt like all of her chakra had been drained. Looking down, she saw bands on her wrists and ankles. As she looked closer, she realized that they were chakra suppressors. 'Great, just great,' she swore angrily in her mind. How was she supposed to get out of here with no chakra.

"Ahhh…I see you are finally awake," a familiar male voice said from the darkness of the room. As the figure walked closer to her, she recognized that it was Kabuto. A feeling of terror washed over her.

"I see you noticed my little restraints," he chuckled. "I couldn't take the chance of you using your inhuman strength or any of your other tricks. You should be proud. You are the first person I had to use all 4 bands on," he said as he checked her restraints.

"So why haven't you killed me yet?" Sakura angrily questioned.

"I have plans for you," Kabuto sneered, "Right now you are bait, but since you have put a kink in my plans for my toxin, I have something really special planned for you."

Sakura looked up in horror at the silver haired man as he finished his task. Who was she bait for? The pain in her head made it hard for her to think straight. She hoped that Shiba wasn't hurt and the ninken were on their way to help her. The one thing she prayed was that Kakashi was not on his way to the lair.

"Yes, this working out better that I had hoped for," he gloated, "I will catch both of them with you as the bait, then I can start my next experiment, with your help of course."

Kabuto moved to the back of the room and laughed menacingly sending shivers down Sakura's spine. The man was imbalanced and she didn't want to provoke him into doing something out of anger.

"Sasuke will pay for killing our master. I will see to it that he suffers for ruining all the plans that we set. It hasn't been easy trying to put the pieces back together, you know," Kabuto spat, "You foiled my plan on building my army with your antidote. No matter, when Kakashi arrives, I will finish my plans and use him to generate the serum needed to start my new army. And you, Ms. Haruno, will help me ensure the future."

Kabuto moved aside the hair that was covering the one side of his face to reveal the grafted part of Orochimaru. Sakura sucked in her breath in horror. The snake sannin had taken over almost half of Kabuto's body. Kabuto cackled with pleasure at the apparent terror the young woman in front of him was feeling.

"Yes, Sakura, you will help birth the next generation and assure that I and my master will never die." Kabuto was next to her reaching out to cradle her face roughly with his hand. "And if you are a good girl, maybe we can do this the old fashion way so both of us can enjoy it."

Sakura pulled away violently with the horrifying thought of the monster in front of her touching her in an intimate way. She snarled as she moved away from him. "It will be a cold day in hell before I let you do that to me!"

"No matter, there are other ways to achieve what I have planned for you. You will pay for thwarting my poison and my plans! Mark my words," he sputtered with venom as he strode from the room.

Sakura was numb as she stared at the walls. She had to find a way out of here before Sasuke or Kakashi came for her. As she thought about her predicament, the buzzing increased in her brain. This was going to be difficult to devise a plan with the interference of the chakra inhibitors. Sakura slowed her breathing and tried to relax to stop the pain. Her breathing calmed and her heart rate slowed causing the buzzing to decrease. She was able to think clearer now. Her mind raced through all her training to find a way to break the chakra inhibitors. The quicker she could do this, the more prepared she would be when her team mates arrived to the hideout.

* * *

Kakashi was pacing, impatient in waiting for Pakuun to return. His mind raced over what his next move should be, trying to suppress the irresistible urge to just race to the Sound lair. Lost in his thoughts, he didn't hear the knocking at the door.

Masao had seen the light on in Kakashi's room as he was walking and was curious why his friend was up still. He could feel the nervous energy in the air as he walked up to the closed door. He knocked a few times with no response.

"Kakashi, are you awake?"

Hearing his friend's voice broke him out of his thoughts. Kakashi finally went to the door to open it.

"Masao, what are you doing her at this hour?" he questioned.

"I was just about to ask you the same," Masao chuckled. Seeing the troubled look on Kakashi's face caused some concern with the abbot. "What's wrong Kakashi?"

Taking a deep breath, Kakashi relayed what had happened in his dream and what Pakuun had reported to him. He also told Masao about the incredible urge to flee to the Sound hideout. Masao listened intently to the story his long time friend was telling him amazed at the detail of the nightmare that Kakashi had experienced. As Kakashi finished his tale, Pakuun appeared in the room.

"Yo," the small pug greeted the two men.

"Any news?" Kakashi asked anxiously.

"We found the lair where Sakura is being held. Heavily fortified. We couldn't get all the way in, but we can tell that Sakura's chakra is low and unstable." The pug looked up pitifully at his master waiting for Kakashi to blow up.

Masao could feel Kakashi tense up after the small dog gave his report to him. Placing his hand on his shoulder to calm him, Masao beckoned the silver haired ninja to sit so they could plan the next move.

* * *

Sakura slowly looked around the room looking for anything that would give her the advantage or to help her release the chakra suppression bands. As she looked around, she noticed that the doorway had a security jutsu to make sure that she didn't leave and no one came into the room without her captors knowing. There were no windows, but there were 2 air vents in the ceiling. It was hard to judge how large they were since the ceiling was vaulted.

Standing, she walked slowly around the room taking in her surroundings and trying to look casual in case she was being watched. The furniture was bulky, so it would be hard to move any of them without alarming someone with the noise, especially since she was without her chakra. Kabuto probably picked this room for that reason. He had also made sure that there were no small sharp objects for her to use as weapons or tools to escape her bonds. Sakura swore silently to herself on Kabuto's thoroughness.

Across the room was a door that was slightly ajar. Inside was a small bathroom and shower. She entered and closed the door for some privacy. As she scanned the room, she could find nothing that would help her plight. Using the facilities, she relieved herself to make things look normal as she searched with her eyes to find something of use.

Washing her hands Sakura played in her head the training that Tsunade had done with her for just this situation. Tsunade had been lecturing her about chakra restraints and what to do if she found herself bound.

_(Flashback)_

"Now, due to your chakra control," the hokage had told her, "it shouldn't be a big deal for you to overload the restraints. But if you run across an enemy that is overzealous and places more than one set on you, you still have a way out it with the technique I'm going to show you."

Placing her hands on Sakura's wrists, the hokage pushed in her chakra. Sakura noticed that is was a bluish purple color, a chakra color she hadn't seen before. When Tsunade was done, she showed her apprentice her wrists. On the underside of each wrist, by her thumbs, was a small sakura flower, one for each wrist. They looked like a tattoo.

"Hmmm….," the hokage beamed as she studied her handiwork, "Getting better with age!"

Sakura looked up her mentor confused about why she had placed the marks on her wrists.

"The marks will only be visable when you do not have any chakra stored. Once you store chakra, the flower will disappear. Each petal will be able to hold a certain amount of chakra in it to be used at a later time. I would suggest keeping all of them charged just in case you need it. If you play your cards right, you could be more powerful than Naruto, but only for a short period of time. Only release the stored chakra when you absolutely need it Sakura. Only in emergencies only," Tsunade told her.

Tsunade showed her the technique to store her chakra and how to release it when she needed it. It took Sakura a couple of weeks to fully charge the storage marks up. Sakura was amazed on how the marks disappeared as she stored her chakra. Once Sakura felt comfortable with the technique, Tsunade showed her apprentice how to overpower a chakra restraint by forcing her stored chakra through the band. Tsunade actually bound her to make sure that Sakura could successfully disable the restraints.

_(End of Flashback)_

Sakura remembered how tired she was after she had completed her task with her blond mentor. She was concerned about how these chakra restraints worked since Kabuto had designed them and how it would make her feel after she attempted to overpower them. The timing would be crucial to ensure her safety and to give her enough time to escape. Luckily, Sakura had thought about putting another storage mark on her hip just in case she needed a little more chakra. It wasn't as big as the ones that Tsunade had made, but it should be enough to help her recuperate if she needed to use both of the others all the way up. She hoped that she wouldn't have to use all her stored chakra up, but with the current situation she was in, there was no choice. There was no way that she would let Kabuto hurt her let alone Sasuke and Kakashi. Once she broke the bonds, she would need to move quickly before Kabuto realized what she had done. She wouldn't be able to fool the demented man if he came back into the room for very long. She would need to bide her time and wait for an opportune time to act. The one advantage she had right now was that Kabuto always underestimated her abilities. For once she was glad that someone thought of her as weak and not a force to be reckoned with.

* * *

While Masao and Kakashi talked over the situation, one of the monks opened the door to announce that some shinobi from Konoha had arrived. The two men were surprised when Naruto, Sasuke and his old team from the Sound walked into the room. Kakashi could see in Naruto and Sasuke's eyes that they knew about the situation with Sakura.

"Ah I see you know already, Kakashi," Sasuke said in a flat tone.

Kakashi just nodded as Naruto handed him the scroll that was delivered to the hokage. Opening it, he read the ransom note demanding that Sasuke deliver a large amount of money and some supplies in return of Sakura being returned unharmed. Kakashi handed the scroll to Masao to read over.

"So, Kabuto is back in charge," Sasuke questioned Kakashi.

"Seems he survived our last attack contrary to what was reported," Kakashi grimly stated.

"Hn," the Uchiha heir growled causing his old team to tense.

"I guess we can all agree this is a trap," Naruto verbalized, "The question is how we proceed without injuring Sakura in the process."

The men all looked at each other waiting for one of them to come up with a plan. It was clear to all of them why Kabuto wanted Sasuke, but Kakashi wasn't sure what plans Kabuto had for him. Masao was right to make him aware of the peril he would be in if he just forced his way into the lair in a blind rage. While his mind raced, Masao interrupted his train of thought.

"What does Sakura, Kakashi, and Sasuke all mean to this Kabuto and how does having all of you further his cause?" Masao pondered.

The group was lost in thought for a few minutes when the light went on in Kakashi's brain on what Kabuto's plans were.

"I know what he wants and why," Kakashi blurted out.

As he told the group his revelation, Sasuke came up with a strategy. Knowing the lair that Kabuto took Sakura to like the back of his hand was an advantage to the group. Discussing the best strategy, the group all agreed to the plan that they had devised. Grabbing their gear, the group headed out to execute it in deadly silence.

* * *

_Sorry it took so long! This is the 3rd revision, had major writers block! Hopefully, the next chapter will not be so hard._

_Thanks and don't forget to comment!_


	10. Chapter 10

_Disclaimer – I do not own Naruto or any characters of said story._

**Chapter 10**

As the night progressed, Sakura made mental notes on how often the guards looked in on her. They walked by the room every hour making sure that she was still there and every two hours, they would open the door to take a peek. Sakura remained passive sitting on the large bed in the room looking as dejected as she could.

When morning finally arrived, Kabuto made his appearance in the room to take her breakfast to her and to check the restraints. To Sakura, it was a half-hearted inspection verifying her belief that he underestimated her abilities. Few words were exchanged between the two as he went about his chore of checking on his prisoner. As long as she remained docile, they paid little attention to her. Mumbling his goodbye, the now Sound leader left her in the room.

Sakura slowly ate her breakfast as her mind raced on her next move. The guards moved like clockwork so she could plan the timing of her escape. She would wait until the guard looked in on her, then activate her chakra storages to overwhelm the restraints. There wouldn't be another guard by the room until an hour later, more than enough time to make her get away. No one would check on her for an additional hour after that. She decided to leave a clone in the room until she was safely away from the lair. She would wait until the sentry looked in on her next, wait a few minutes, then make her escape.

Her hope was that she had enough chakra stored to break free of her bonds. A shiver went up her spine as she thought about what Kabuto had in store for her. She would rather die than be touched by him. Making a firm resolve, she promised herself that she wouldn't fail.

* * *

The group finally reached the lair where Sakura was being kept. Masao had come with a few of the more experienced monks to help with the rescue. He and his men were stationed on the outside perimeter of the hideout to make sure that no one left or could ambush the Konoha shinobi as they executed their plan. He hoped all would go well without any snags. Oto was not one to mess with but he was confident in Sasuke's plan. If anything happened to Sakura, Masao didn't know how Kakashi would react. He said a silent prayer as he stood in the shadows waiting for the signal that the Konoha shinobi started their attack.

Juugo, Suigetsu, and Karin quietly slipped in and took out all of the guards replacing them with their kage bunshin so no one noticed that they were missing. They didn't need Kabuto tipped off before everyone was in place. Karin used her chakra sensing technique to locate where  
Sakura was being held. She noticed that Sakura's chakra levels were severely repressed and was concerned for Sakrua's well being. Karin notified the rest of the team via their headsets of her findings.

* * *

After the guard looked in on her, Sakura waited ten minutes before finally being able to start her escape. Activating the first chakra storage petal, she felt a burst of energy pulse through her arm and felt the first restraint break free on her left arm.

'Hmmm…l that was easier than I expected,' she quietly told herself.

The second restraint was not as easy. After 30 minutes of trying, she still had not removed the restraint. Sweat covered her brow as she took a small break before she activated the next stored chakra point. She had two petals left and was running out of time. If she couldn't disable it in the next 5 minutes, she would be out of chakra and luck. There would be nothing else she could do if she couldn't get the left arm free of the restraint. The ones on her legs she could break off once her arms were free. Taking a deep breath, she focused at the task at hand, determined not to become Kabuto's next experiment. Activating both petals, a surge of energy raced through her body.

* * *

Kakashi steeled himself for what he was about to do. He had to convince Kabuto that he was under the control of the toxin so he wouldn't give himself away before the rest of the team could find Sakura. Knowing that her chakra was suppressed set everyone on edge after Karin shared the information with all of them. Kabuto was a wily opponent and no one would put it past him of having a trick up his sleeve so the pink-haired kunoichi could not escape his grasp.

Suigetsu and Karin came up beside him henged as the guards at the door that they were about to enter. The plan was to act like he was still under the toxin's control while Suigetsu and Karin brought him to Kabuto. Taking a deep breath, he nodded to the two that he was ready to enter the hideout. They all steeled themselves for the mission they were about to start.

Walking through the corridors, Karin located where Kabuto was currently at. The two former Oto shinobi masked their chakra so Kabuto couldn't sense who they were. Karin was well aware of the range that he could sense their chakra signatures and made sure the group was well masked before they were in his range. If Kabuto recognized who they really were, the plan would fail. Kakashi also suppressed some of his chakra so the new leader wouldn't view him as a threat.

Walking boldly, the threesome found their way to the door where Suigetsu knocked loudly.

"Enter," Kabuto commanded, irritated by the interruption. He had been readying himself for Sasuke's arrival.

"Sir, we found this man wandering around the main entrance," Suigetsu mumbled.

Kabuto looked up in surprise. He never expected the infamous Copy Nin to grace his presence on this day.

"Well, well, well," he smiled menacingly, "You finally have arrived. What a pleasant surprise."

Kabuto looked into the glazed eye of his prey satisfied with the results of his labor. It was an inopportune time, but once he had dealt with Sasuke, he would proceed in the final steps of his toxin experiment.

"Put him in with the girl," he directed, "I will deal with him later. I have more pressing issues at hand."

The two guards nodded and escorted Kakashi out of the room. They couldn't help but smile at the initial success of their plan. Kabuto was distracted enough that he didn't notice anything amiss with any of them. As the group wandered down the hall, Karin confirmed where Sakura was at and gave the signal to Sasuke and Naruto that the first part was completed.

* * *

Sasuke stood in front of the lair with the scroll that contained the items and money that Kabuto requested in the ransom note. Naruto stood by in the forest in one of the trees masking his chakra, watching the events enfold below. Sasuke briefly nodded before bellowing to Kabuto that he was there as promised.

Kabuto made his way out the entrance flanked by Oto shinobi. Little did he know that his minions that flanked him were kage bunshin of Karin and Suigetsu. Juugo was henged as a guard next to Kabuto.

"So we meet again, Sasuke," the new Oto leader sneered.

"Hn," Sasuke said indifferently, "I see you have been making some changes to yourself. How disgusting."

Kabuto laughed at the man that murdered his mentor.

"A better improvement, wouldn't you say Sasuke?"

Sasuke was sickened by the sight of him. He wanted to attack the revolting man and wipe him out of existence. He kept his cool knowing that Sakura's life was in his hands and didn't want to do anything that would threaten it.

"Let's get on with this," Sasuke scoffed. "Where's Sakura?"

"Safely tucked away," Kabuto sneered, "Do you have the items that I requested?"

Sasuke held up the scroll.

"If you wouldn't mind opening it, I would like to see everything before we make the trade," Kabuto demanded.

With a huff, Sasuke opened the scroll with the proper hand signs so Kabuto could look over the contents. The former medic looked over everything meticulously to make sure everything he had stipulated was accounted for. He needed some of the supplies and money to put his final plan in motion. All was accounted for so he could now move on to the next step of his plan. Hopefully the raven haired man in front of him would comply with minimal complications. Kabuto didn't fool himself. He knew that Sasuke would not come willingly but if he wanted to assure the release of his team mate, there might be less of a struggle. Timing was the key to his plan to capture Sasuke.

Scanning the landscape around them, he could not sense any shinobi nearby. Kabuto could sense a team on the far perimeter of the grounds, far enough to not make a difference if they had to attack Sasuke. He was still wary since a high level shinobi could mask their chakra signature. Sasuke would have to be lured into the lair before he executed his plan.

"Looks to be in order," Kabuto mumbled.

Sasuke snapped the scroll shut and replaced the seal.

"First you give me Sakura, then I will give you the scroll," Sasuke stated, staring intently into his opponent's eyes, daring Kabuto to make a wrong move.

The two men stared at each other, neither backing down. Everyone could feel the tenseness in their glares. Karin, Juugo, and Suigetsu took an unconscious step back due to the negative energy radiating off both men.

"Hmmm…if you want your team mate, you will have to follow me, Sasuke," Kabuto finally said, "I had to suppress her chakra so she wouldn't do any damage to me or herself."

Sasuke just glared at the man in front of him and nodded. 'He must think that I'm an idiot,' Sasuke told himself angrily as he followed the man into the lair. If Sakura was not in danger, he would have took the spliced man before him out with one blow. The arrogance that this man radiated irritated him to no end. Taking a deep breath, he fell in behind Kabuto.

* * *

Kakashi waited a few minutes until he went to Sakura's side. He didn't sense any listening or visual devices so it seemed safe to let down his façade. Sakura was lying on the bed that was there with chakra restraints on each limb. She seemed totally drained and listless when he came by her side. Anger rose up in him as he wondered what Kabuto had put her through.

"Sakura," he said gently as he stroked her face. "Sakura, it's me, Kakashi. Can you hear me?"

Slowly, Sakura opened her eyes and saw the concern on Kakashi's face.

"I'm just tired. These chakra inhibitors are taxing," she said as she smiled up weakly at him closing her eyes again.

Tenderly he kissed her and pulled her into his embrace.

"Don't worry, just rest. We will be getting you out of here shortly," he told her quietly.

Activating his sharringan, he noticed that one of the devices was disabled on one arm and the other was severely damaged. Sakura must have used all her reserves trying to release herself. 'No wonder she is so tired,' he mused as he stroked her hair.

Kakashi heard a sound down the hall and quickly withdrew from her taking up his glazed eye stance. His senses were acutely on edge to make sure that he wasn't taken by surprised by anything now that he knew that Sakura couldn't defend herself.

* * *

Kabuto led the procession down the hall towards the room that Sakura was being held. He mentally berated himself for putting Kakashi into the same room as the woman now that Sasuke was following him to her room. Quickly, he came up with an alternate plan so Sasuke wouldn't be aware of Kakashi's presence there. The room had an adjoining area so he could accomplish capturing or killing Sasuke. Walking past the door where Sakura was being held, he led Sasuke to the adjoining room.

"Stay here with my guard and I will bring her to you," he told the Uchiha heir.

Closing the door, he made his way down the short hallway to retrieve the pink haired woman. He brusquely went past Kakashi, who was sitting in one of the chairs, and grabbed Sakura's hand to pull her up.

"You stay here," Kabuto whispered to Kakashi receiving a nod that the man understood his direction.

Kabuto dragged Sakura through the door and closed it. As soon as the door closed, there was a commotion heard by all in both rooms. It sounded like a battle was ensuing, and then there was a short cry, then silence.

Sasuke looked at the rest of the group in confusion wondering if they should intercede or not. Kakashi stood from his chair wondering how he should proceed. Both sides flew into action once the heard the cry from Sakura. Flinging the doors open, they were greeted by a stunned Kabuto staring down at smoldering remains. The four restraints still had flames on them as both groups entered the doors.

Sasuke and his group were in shock as they looked at the scene before them. The next thing that they heard was Kakashi's chidori as it tore through Kabuto. All the man could do was stare down at Kakashi's hand as it plowed through his body.

"They are not designed to detonate that way," Kabuto murmured as slumped to the floor, dead.

Kakashi cried out in agony as he looked down at what was left of the woman that he loved so dearly. His legs gave out, making him collapse helplessly next to the charred remains. Silent tears flowed down his face as he pounded the ground before him. If only he would have responded faster, Sakura would be still with them.

* * *

_To Be Continued..._


	11. Chapter 11

The final chapter!

_Disclaimer – I do not own Naruto or any characters of said story. _

**Chapter 11**

Masao felt a feeling of dread wash over him when he saw Naruto run toward him from the tree line. The blond haired shinobi wore a pained expression on his face.

"We need you now," Naruto told him quietly.

Masao just nodded and gave instructions to his monks to follow. The group quickly flew through the forest closer to the Oto lair.

"Naruto, what went wrong?" Masao said as he came up besides the shinobi.

Tears filled his eyes. "Kakashi really needs you right now. I don't know what exactly happened since I wasn't there. All I know is that Sakura is gone."

"Gone?" Masao said shocked by what he just heard.

All Naruto could do is nod. The man was fighting to keep his composure as they ran to join the rest of the group. Neither one spoke as they picked up the pace.

Masao knew that his friend would be inconsolable by the loss and he feared what Kakashi would do now that another person that he loved was gone. They had many conversations on how Kakashi felt that he was cursed in love and how he should never let anyone close to him because it was a death sentence. It took years to convince the man of the contrary and to open his heart again. Now that he had finally found love, it was cruelly stripped from him.

* * *

The group arrived to the area outside the hideout. Naruto had left some of his kage bunshins to guard the remaining Oto shinobi that they had encountered inside. Sasuke was directing everyone on what needed to be done while the group waited for the ANBU cleanup teams to come and finish the job. The raven haired man turned to greet the group as they moved closer to the entrance. Even though Sasuke didn't show it outwardly, Masao noted the pain in the stoic man's eyes as he moved closer to him.

"Where is he?" Masao said quietly.

"Inside," the last Uchiha told him,"Down to the left."

After Masao gave his monks their assignments, he entered the lair to find his friend. The windowless rooms created as sense of walking through a crypt. The eerie glow of the lighting cast long shadows against the walls creating a sense of foreboding. Masao couldn't help but wonder how the inhabitants of the lair were not affected by the gloom that they were subjected to by living in this place.

Stepping in the room, Masao found Karin watching over Kakashi. Kakashi had his head in his hands staring at the floor. Karin gave the abbot a cheerless smile as he walked closer to the duo. No words were needed as he gazed at his distraught friend. Karin just nodded and left the two men alone. Masao sat down besides Kakashi. Neither spoke for an extended time.

"She's gone, Masao," Kakashi finally said in hushed tones. "Even though I tried, I couldn't protect her."

Masao turned to his long time friend and placed a comforting hand on Kakashi's shoulder. He knew that there was nothing he could say right now to console him. All he could do now was listen and support him.

* * *

The ANBU teams had finally arrived to help with taking care of the prisoners and making sure that the hideout was secure. Sasuke had sent one of his messenger hawks to the hokage to break the news that Sakura had been lost. It had been one of the hardest things he had ever had to do since he came back to Konoha. He still couldn't believe that she was truly gone. It was hard to watch Naruto painfully going through the motions, struggling to maintain his composure as he did his duty. Sasuke knew that it was taking all that Naruto had not to break down.

Even though Sasuke was not an emotional person, the loss of Sakura weighed heavily on his mind. He was finding it difficult not to let his mind drift to the loss of a good friend and team mate. Sakura was more like the sister he never had. Even though he had lost team mates before, the loss he was feeling now compared to losing his parents so many years before. He knew that it would take time for him to deal with not having the bubbly medic at his side any more.

As the teams took over the cleanup, Sasuke's mind couldn't help but wander to the course of events that had led up to Sakura's demise only a few hours before. There was something that didn't seem quite right about the situation. He needed to go back to where they found Kabuto and Sakura's smoldering remains before any of the teams made it there, to find some peace for his troubled mind.

* * *

"What do I do now Masao?" Kakashi said dejectedly, "What do I do now that I have lost her?"

Masao looked Kakashi in the eye. "You live life to its fullest, Kakashi. That is what Sakura would have wanted you to do."

Kakashi just stared at his lifelong friend. He knew that Sakura wouldn't have wanted him to give up just because she was gone, but he couldn't shake the feeling that he had failed her by his actions. It felt like the weight of the world had crashed down upon him and that his heart had broken into a million pieces. Even though he knew that what Masao had just told him was what Sakura would want him to do, he couldn't help but wonder if he would ever be able to heal again.

* * *

Sakura had awoke abruptly when the explosion had went off. She was exhausted after she released herself from the restraints and had just made it out of the room right before the guard came in. Using the special kage bunshin that Tsunade had taught her to use in this type of situation, she had just enough chakra to pull it off before leaving the confines of her prison. It was perfect for what she had planned for Kabuto. When he came close enough, her double would detonate taking the demented shinobi with her double. Not sensing anyone coming in her general direction, she decided to rest some more to regain her strength just in case she encountered any resistance when she made it out of the lair.

* * *

Making his way into the corridor, Sasuke looked down on the ashes that were once Sakura. He crouched down beside the blacken remains activating his sharingan to closely look at them. Normally when someone died, there would be traces of their chakra. As he looked down, there wasn't enough of the chakra signature that should be left and the chakra that was there was casting an irregular pattern. Sasuke went down the hall to the room that Sakura was being in held and activated his sharingan again. Looking around the room, there were no chakra signatures, but when he looked towards the ceiling, he detected a faint signature. It was hard to discern on what he was looking at since it seemed far away. Noticing the air duct, Sasuke lifted himself up to search for the signature.

* * *

Sensing a presence moving closer to her, Sakura became fully awake. Fighting in an enclosed area wasn't the best situation. She quickly scrambled to the next room, and dropped down after she made sure that the room was secure. She readied herself to face the fast moving intruder. All she could do is hope that she had enough chakra to protect herself.

* * *

The chakra that he sensed was now moving quickly in front of him. He tracked it to a dimly lit room below the air vent. Grabbing his kunai and wires, he lowered himself into the room ready to take on whoever was waiting there for him. As he turned, he saw a flash of pink as he used his wires to ensnare his attacker. Sasuke was shocked when he looked down and saw his team mate struggling to escape his trap.

"Sakura?" he said, "Sakura is that you?"

Sakura's head snapped up and stared at him. "Sasuke, let me out of these damn wires, you ass!" she snarled. "What the hell do you think you are doing?"

Sasuke chuckled with relief as he let the furious kunoichi out of his trap. As she was released, he pulled her into his crushing embrace, thankful that she was not dead.

Sakura was shocked as the Uchiha heir held her tightly.

"Ummm…Sasuke, what is going on?"

She received no reply as her childhood friend held on to her tightly, happy that she was still alive. After awhile, Sasuke released her.

"You are so annoying sometimes," he uttered, "but I'm glad you are still here with us in the living. You cannot believe the mess you made by making us all think you were dead."

"Us? Who else is here with you?" she inquired.

"All of us, you fool. Do you think we would just abandon you to the likes of Kabuto?" he declared, looking at her offended at the thought.

His words sank in to her tired brain. Suddenly, her head snapped up when she realized that the rest of the group thought her dead. She didn't even want to think what Kakashi was feeling if he was there with the group.

"Sasuke, where is Kakashi?" she said in a panic.

Realizing the torment that the silver haired shinobi must be going through, Sasuke grabbed Sakura's arm and abruptly dragged her into the hallway towards entrance where everyone was waiting.

* * *

Naruto and Masao had escorted Kakashi out the entrance of the hideout so the ANBU teams could finish the final part of their mission, removing the remains of Sakura and Kabuto. As the ANBU team carried out the body bags, Kakashi and Naruto broke down. Even the most hardened shinobi there couldn't help but feel the pain that the two respected men were feeling at this moment. Sakura had healed most of them at one time or another, some of them owed her their lives. Silent tears ran down the faces of the two men as they grieved for Sakura. The rest of the shinobi and monks were silent to honor Sakura, showing their respect for the accomplished medic.

Sasuke suddenly emerged from the entrance, taking in the scene before him. All eyes turned to him as he made his way to the top of the stairs. Assured that he had everyone's attention, he retreated down the steps to help his team mate out of the lair. A collective gasp of surprise could be heard as Sakura stepped out into the light.

Kakashi was at her side in a flash. He stood in front of her astonished, as he took in her tired form, making sure that it was truly her. His heart could not take another blow if the person in front of him was not Sakura.

The pink haired medic could see the pain and uncertainty in his eyes. She didn't want to think of the pain he had gone through when he thought her to be gone from this realm. As she started to speak, Kakashi pulled her into his embrace and kissed her fiercely, not caring who witnessed his expression of love and happiness that she was still among the living.

A joint cry of relief and some cat calls erupted from the group as the two lovers kissed. Separating from their heated show of affection, Naruto grasped the couple into his bear like embrace happy that Sakura had not been taken from their midst. Sasuke just smiled, not wanting to join the group hug. Even though he wouldn't admit it, he was relieved that the female part of their team was still with them. Soon the group disbanded, so they could finish the clean up so they could finally go home.

Kakashi kept Sakura close at hand, not wanting her to stray too far from his watchful eyes. Karin had looked her over and deemed her fit for the journey home. Aside from some depleted reserves, Sakura was healthy despite her ill-fated adventure. As the group busied themselves for the journey home, Kakashi swept her into his arms and kissed her deeply again.

"Don't you ever do that to me again," Kakashi scolded her.

Sakura touched his cheek tenderly, sensing the pain that he endured while she was gone as he held her close to him.

"I promise," she murmured as she kissed his lips again.

Sensing that he didn't want to release her, she wound her arms around his neck and nestled her head into the crook of his neck, delighted to be in his warm embrace. She felt safe in his strong arms. It was not long before she relaxed, and fell asleep in his arms. The last thing she remembered before drifting asleep was his soft lips against her cheek and the sense of completeness being with the man that she loved.

As she drifted off on Morpheus' wings, a saying that her mother had always told her came back to her. "Things that don't kill you, will make you stronger, Sakura," she would say when Sakura faced any adversity. At the time, it would only anger her, and being a teenager didn't help her understand her mother's message to her. Now that she was older, her mother's saying took on a new meaning. If you held on and did your best, adversity would make you more resilient. Now that she and Kakashi had weathered through this difficult time together, there was no doubt in her mind that their love would grow and they would endure any test that was thrown at them in the future. Content with her realization that she was finally with her soul mate, she finally drifted off to sleep so she could greet the new day with the man she loved.

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_I hope you all enjoyed it! Thanks again for all your comments!_


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